The morning or afternoon shower is undoubtedly the most relaxing part of the whole day. Sometimes it just feels so good to close your eyes and stand in the rain stream from the shower head. The only problem is, sometimes our most relaxing showers are also the ones that waste the most water (and therefore waste the most energy).

Here are some tips on how to conserve water while showering:

· Do not run the water to “heat up” for a long time. It may take a while for the water to heat up, but it usually doesn’t take so long that you have time to make breakfast or clean the kitchen.

· Take shorter showers. Use a shower timer and try to keep your shower limited to five minutes; Sometimes just knowing how long you’ve been in the shower will help you cut down on your shower time. This can be very difficult, especially since the average American shower time tends to be closer to ten minutes, but whatever time you can cut back will help.

Turn off the water when you are lathering. While you are shampooing your hair or lathering your body, the water doesn’t need to be on. In fact, it is almost easier if the water does not flow.

Turn off the water when you shave. If you need water to clean your razor, use a full cup of water.

· Exercise before you shower. Exercising before you shower serves several purposes: By exercising first, you wake up and are less likely to entertain yourself in the shower. Plus, exercise warms you up and you won’t need to use it like warm water; remember, the hotter the water is, the more energy it is using.

· Buy a low-flow showerhead. Make sure the shower head uses no more than 2.2 gallons per minute (gpm). It’s best if you can find one that uses only 1.5 gpm. Keep in mind that some shower heads, especially older ones, have a flow of around 6 to 8 gpm! Also, using a low-flow showerhead doesn’t mean you have to sacrifice water pressure. There are many different and great low flow shower heads that you might like better than your current 6 gpm shower head!

Try to shower only once a day, instead of two.

· It’s okay to go a day without showering once in a while!

Even if you can only follow a few of these tips, it will help conserve water. And remember that by conserving water in the shower, you are also conserving energy (because it takes energy to heat our water) and by conserving energy, you are saving money. Taking shorter showers and following some of these other tips not only helps the environment, but also ensures a better future for yourself.