It will come at no surprise that showering is one of the biggest household water consumption all over the world. One shower uses 25 to 35 gallons of water (95 to 132 Liters). This is for a 8-10 minute shower. See more about water consumption in the shower in my post here. However, there are so many things you can do to minimize your water consumption in the shower.
Install a low flow shower head
Shower head flow rates range from 1.5 GPM / 5.7 LPM (newest and most efficient) to 5 GPM / 18.9 LPM (oldest and least efficient). Many think that with a slower flow rate, you will need to take a longer shower, but this has been proven not to be the case (Ref). I cannot personally give my opinion about this but I would definitely be open to try one.
Decrease your shower times
Shower time is the biggest factor that could dramatically affect the amount of water used. A 10 minute shower consumes double the amount of water than a 5 minute shower and a 20 minute shower consumes 4 times as much as a 5 minute shower.
Practice non-continuous showering
Instead of leaving the water running while you are in the shower, turn off the water while you shave or brush your teeth (if you usually do that in the shower). You can also buy a shower head that you can easily switch off (with a button) so you can stop the water while washing and only turn on to rinse. Read MY EXPERIMENT with non-continuous showering.
Decrease Shower frequency
Consider not taking a shower everyday or at least not more than once per day. Try other ways of cleaning yourself such as with a facecloth in the sink (like the old days).
Minimize water waste
Consider placing a bucket in the shower to catch the water you don’t use right away while trying to get the temperature right and use to clean, flush the toilet, or water plants.
Think about how you’re feeling
If you’re one to take long showers when extra tired or stressed, consider taking a bath instead, knowing that 15 minutes in the shower is equivalent to a regular bath.
Shower at two
Showering with a partner significantly decreases the amount of water used if you do it efficiently. This is because you take turns being in the water while the other is cleaning and switch regularly, maximizing the time under the water that is being used for rinsing. Admittedly these showers can take a bit longer than a regular shower, but if 2 people take 10 minutes each to shower and 15 minutes to shower at two, you’re still saving water in the end.
Conclusion
Hopefully you learned a few tricks how to reduce your water consumption in the shower. Let me know if you have any other tricks to save water.