Showering the Navy way…

This summer, I started showering the Navy way.  Ironically, I didn’t know it was called that at the time.  I was showering, and thought “Wow, most of the shower water is being wasted and that I could reduce my water usage”.

Here is What I Did:

So I started to soak myself, turn off the water, scrub down, then turn the water back on to wash away the soap and shampoo.  I cut my water consumption by about half.  Later, after I got a rhythm, I was able to cut my water usage by at least 80%.  I’m sure it’s possible to achieve a better percentage, but this was fine for me.

At the time, I thought it was pretty clever and I told one of the older guys at work…  He said “So you took a Navy shower huh”.  I googled it, and apparently, that’s almost exactly what I did.

A Navy shower is one where you:

• Soak yourself
• Turn the water off
• Lather up and scrub
• Turn the water back on, and rinse
• Dry

My buddy (a Navy man) told me that the fresh water stored on the ship was a limited supply.  And apparently, to conserve the fresh water, everybody would follow the technique above to save as much water as possible.

Practicing such a technique will:

1. Save you money (less water waste)
2. Conserve water (better for the environment)
3. Keep water hot for the family (nobody likes a cold shower)

What a great way to get more bang for your buck!  You (and your family) will benefit 3 ways all at once.

I don’t practice this on very cold winter days, although, it’s a great way to wake up!  Coffee is overrated anyway… 😉

Another debatable perk is…  After doing this for a while, taking a nice regular hot shower is a treat, almost a luxury.  I now make sure I take a regular shower at least once a week just to reward myself and enjoy it!

Anyway, that’s my 3 cents for the day!

-MR