Squash the stink and get out.
Americans spend an average of 16.1 minutes in the shower, according to the numbers — but that’s entirely too long, according to one expert.
Dr. Pablo Pereira-Doel, an environmental scientist at England’s University of Surrey, recently stated that people really only need three measly minutes to get squeaky clean.
“Three minutes is a sensible target for a body shower, with two more if you’re washing your hair,” Pereira-Doel told the Daily Mail.
The water-efficiency focused fun-ruiner added that bathers who want to be extra green can cut their shower time to only a minute — by turning off the tap while scrubbing down.
One minute is all that’s needed for an adequate body rinse, he said — two minutes when adding shampoo, three when tacking on conditioner.
Pereira-Doel insisted that this pint-sized period under the spout does “[include] time for leisure water, meaning enjoyment under the water.”
Studies also show that some people spend close to 40 minutes under the stream — which the agua advocate explained had little to do with cleanliness.
“’As for why people linger… the answer is that for a large share of showers, getting clean isn’t the point,” said Pereira-Doel.
“Over four in 10 showers in our sample were taken for reasons unrelated to hygiene — relaxation, self–care, warming up on a cold morning,” he continued. “When a shower is doing that job, its length isn’t a decision anyone is consciously making.”
Pereira-Doel added that bathing in soft water vs. hard water can also have an effect on shower time, with people in soft water areas showering around a fifth longer likely because “shampoo lathers more richly and rinses more easily in soft water, so the shower feels better and people linger.”
He added that evening and weekend showers also tend to take longer than morning rinse-offs, due to the lack of time constraints.
Another shower time add-on is low water pressure.
“People may compensate for a weak spray by staying in longer to feel properly rinsed,” Pereira-Doel added.
One tip from the pro could also save you big money on more than your water bill, too — shampoo once, not twice, as instructed on so many bottle labels.
“Most people who lather twice do it out of habit rather than need,” he said.
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