Strategies for conserving water?

Do you ever feel you're using too much water when wet shaving? Do you know any strategies / techniques that could reduce or require less water consumption?

Sometimes it bothers me how long I need to run the upstairs tap to get hot water. So the other day I put a big mug of water in the microwave and brought it up to use for shaving. I wet my face with it before putting Arko on my face, I soaked my brush in it before face lathering, and then I used it to rinse /declog my razor while shaving. I must say I really cut down on my water use and should see if I can make a habit out of this!


What are your thoughts on this?

My strategy is to cold water shave most of the time.

ackvil said:

My strategy is to cold water shave most of the time.

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yup, I do this too. Especially during the summer.

You can get a water kettle. Fill it with cold water, plug it in, about 1 min and it's hot.

I try to minimize my water useage just to be a good citizen. I totally agree with water use conservation.

For me, the term "wasting" water rings hollow. I define waste as using something one or just a few times and tossing.

I don't view water is ever wasted. Whatever I send down the drain ends up downstream somewhere and all our water is recycled via evaporation and precipitation.

It probably starts with plugging the drain and using the basin instead of running the water constantly. That also keeps things quiet so you can hear the feedback from the razor. Running the hot water is all but unavoidable unless finding a work-around as you have. Beyond that I do not get very concerned. I do not live in a desert, so there is a voluminous natural water cycle. What goes down the drain does not disappear. It goes into the sewage system. Some of that seeps through the pipes and joins the groundwater cycle, which over a period of years to centuries seeps its way out through riverbeds. Most of it goes into treatment centers, where it is sanitized and discharged back into the streams. If you really wanted to get tight on water, just read the story of how Gillette designed the Guard Razor for a country such as India, where running water is lacking in rural areas and men shave with as little as a cup of water.

I have done many shaves when camping with no more water than my coffee cup holds. Not hard to do, just do it. Maybe you don't get the face super hydrated, but a decent lather and taking it easy on the blade give a very passable shave.

I usually run the warm water into the sink, but in the Republic of Vietnam in the late 60's early 70's, I shaved with about 3/4's of canteen cup of water. It was super smooth & only did one pass, but it worked

When I shave in the truck ,I get a good two pass shave with half a bottle of water. @ 8oz. Sometimes I heat the water in the micro. but most of the time its room temp. I use one of those little kidney shaped bowls you get when in the hospital.

bberg100 said:

I have done many shaves when camping with no more water than my coffee cup holds. Not hard to do, just do it. Maybe you don't get the face super hydrated, but a decent lather and taking it easy on the blade give a very passable shave.

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This.

Working for Water and Power utility for over 30 years and living in California, gave me a unique perspective on water conservation. I don't waster water. To save water:

I have a rock lawn, so I don't water. I do water a flower bead.
I use a broom, not water to wash down pavement.
I take Navy showers. Wet head, shut off water, shampoo hair, rinse, shut off water, put on conditioner, wet body, shut off water, wash body, rinse hair and body and shut off water, done. I have never shaved in the shower with the water running, what a waste.
Wet toothbrush, shut off water, brush teeth, rinse and shut off water.
I shave with water in the sink.
When I wash my hands, I put soap in one hand, wet the other, shut off water, lather, turn on water and rinse and shut off water.
Cars get washed at the car wash, as the water has to be recycled filtered in CA.
Only full loads of laundry.
1.2gal toilets.

My wife and I average less than 22 gallons of water a day, for both of us.

Greg W.

90quattrocoupe said:

Working for Water and Power utility for over 30 years and living in California, gave me a unique perspective on water conservation. I don't waster water. To save water:

I have a rock lawn, so I don't water. I do water a flower bead.
I use a broom, not water to wash down pavement.
I take Navy showers. Wet head, shut off water, shampoo hair, rinse, shut off water, put on conditioner, wet body, shut off water, wash body, rinse hair and body and shut off water, done. I have never shaved in the shower with the water running, what a waste.
Wet toothbrush, shut off water, brush teeth, rinse and shut off water.
I shave with water in the sink.
When I wash my hands, I put soap in one hand, wet the other, shut off water, lather, turn on water and rinse and shut off water.
Cars get washed at the car wash, as the water has to be recycled filtered in CA.
Only full loads of laundry.
1.2gal toilets.

My wife and I average less than 22 gallons of water a day, for both of us.

Greg W.

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Outstanding! I salute you and your wife.

I shave with what ever temp comes out of the tap. I collected a bowl of water to soak my brush in before getting into the shower (even if I did fill the bowl with hot water it is cool by the time I am out of the shower, so why bother). I stopper the sink to collect what ever water I run in the process of washing my hands clean of hair stuff or washing/wetting my face etc, then use the sink water to wet my brush/drip into my bowl and/or rinse my face between passes. Before I drain the sink (which is rarely more than 1/3 full) I wash my brush out in the water. After draining the sink I fill my little bowl again and swish my brush in the clean water, then use the bowl water to rinse the sink clean. If my face or sink is still in need of further rinsing I will run water to do the job.

I don't hold some hardline water conservation regime, I use what I need and avoid running water for no reason. If I really desire a hot water (or hot rag) prep, I can usually get what I need by turning the tap to hot and running it into just a little longer (my sink might be 1/2 full instead of 1/3). I just don't like standing over a sink of steaming water so I don't bother with trying to get HOT water.

I have pretty much instant hot water in my apartment complex. I fill the sink with hot water, soak my brush, bowl, razor, and soap while I shower. Then I make my lather and shave using the water in my sink. I do use the hot water to rinse my razor for my second pass. Living in SoCal, I am very aware of water conservation, and I think I have found a fairly water-frugal shave routine.

I heat a cup of water in the microwave for about 45 seconds to get it very warm and use it to soak the brush. I wash my face with soapy water using the tap - this is a brief amount of time. I only turn the faucet on for a couple seconds to rinse the razor. Then at the end to rinse my face. I feel it's a minimal amount of water doing it this way. I never just run the tap.

dimeotane said:

Do you ever feel you're using too much water when wet shaving? Do you know any strategies / techniques that could reduce or require less water consumption?

Sometimes it bothers me how long I need to run the upstairs tap to get hot water. So the other day I put a big mug of water in the microwave and brought it up to use for shaving. I wet my face with it before putting Arko on my face, I soaked my brush in it before face lathering, and then I used it to rinse /declog my razor while shaving. I must say I really cut down on my water use and should see if I can make a habit out of this!


What are your thoughts on this?

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Like some others have said. Cold water shave and Navy showers work great. I typically do a warm water shave if I'm showering already. With no shower, it's always a cold water shave. Not running the water until it gets hot saves a ton of water and cold water works great except that it dulls the blades faster. Here in CA, however, blades are much cheaper than water.

In addition to this - plug your sink drain and fill it halfway (or less) with water in advance of shaving. You can soak your brush and rinse your face well enough for a 4 pass with this amount of water. If you can't plug your sink drain for whatever reason, just turn the water on briefly to rinse the blade after a couple of strokes. Another good tip is to use a towel to clean and dry your sink after shaving. I typically shave with a hand towel on call and when finished, it gets used to pat dry my face before AS application, dry my blade after alcohol drip, dry my razor before the blade gets re-seated, clean/dry my sink top and basin post shave and toothbrushing. I have a stack of these towels and use one per shave. At the end of the week, 7 work out to less than a small load of wash.

I've drastically reduced my water usage and heat up water in a kettle. That water goes into the scuttle and a ramekin that I use to soak the brush and then to rinse the razor as I shave. Once done, I pour out the water from the inner bowl into the ramekin several times using each batch of clear water to rinse out the brush and razor and the inner bowl of the scuttle until done. This seems to save a lot more water over filling the basin and since I only have one basin in our master bath avoids the problem of my Wife walking up during my shave and wanting to drain the sink to wash her hands or brush her teeth. I can just shave to the side and share the bathroom.

I have a under sink pump in the master bath and the kitchen. I hit a moment switch and it pumps the hot water side into the cold water side, until it reaches a certain temp. Turn on faucet for sink, shower, kitchen sink and dishwasher and instant hot water.

No waste of running water to get the water hot.

Greg W.

I fill up a small bowl with hot water & soak the badger just before I jump in the shower. Else, I use a soup-sized tupperware in the sink with cold water to rinse the razor.

I am very much in favour of any idea which will save water. In many parts of the world it has become so scarce.

Shaving may be a concern, but I would look first at watering the lawn or garden, washing the car and filling the swimming pool...

I picked up a big, chrome percolator pot at a thrift store to put on the kitchen counter and I'll pour out the half-empty water glasses into the pot and then fill up a watering can to use the leftover water on the plants. It's the kind of perc pot with a spigot and looks retro stylish. Sailor showers, of course, and I've been thinking of capturing the water from the washing machine and filtering it through a bed of sand and pumping it to use on the plants, but I don't have a whole lot of room in the side yard next to the washing machine.