Saving water in the shower: the pause button and 6 other easy habits

We all have our little shower habits: letting the water run while we lather up, waiting for it to heat up while scrolling on our phone, belting out one more chorus… Nothing dramatic, but it all adds up on the water bill, and on the energy bill when the water is heated. Here are seven simple habits to use less, without turning your shower into boot camp.

1. The pause button, your new best friend

It's the easiest habit of all. A pause button on the shower head lets you cut the spray in one move, without touching the faucet. While you lather up, work your shampoo into a foam or shave, the water stops. When you're ready, press it again and the water comes back on, no need to readjust anything.

Why it beats the faucet

• No hunting for the right temperature every time.
• The button is right on the shower head, within easy reach.
• You get the hang of it fast, and it quickly becomes second nature.

2. Shorten your shower (no stopwatch needed)

No need for a stressful timer. A trick that works well: put on one or two songs and get out when they end. Make a “shower” playlist of short, upbeat tracks, and you're done. Bonus: you start the day in a good mood.

3. Catch the cold water at the start

While you wait for the hot water to arrive, a good amount of cold water goes straight down the drain. Put a bucket or watering can under the shower head while you wait. That clean water can water your plants, wash the floor or fill a bucket to flush the toilet.

4. Turn the temperature down a notch

A scalding shower feels great, but it takes energy to heat all that water. Turning the temperature down slightly shows up on your bill. And your skin won't complain: very hot water tends to dry it out.

5. Choose a shower over a bath

A bath means filling an entire tub. A reasonable shower generally uses much less water. Save baths for special occasions: a rainy Sunday or a really rough Monday.

6. Hunt down leaks

A dripping faucet, a weeping hose, a tired seal: these little leaks go unnoticed, but they run day and night. Good habits:

• Regularly check the connections between the faucet, the hose and the shower head.
• Replace seals as soon as they harden or crack.
• Replace a damaged or leaking hose.
• If it's the faucet itself that's leaking in a rental, let your landlord know.

The water meter trick

To spot a hidden leak, read your water meter in the evening, don't use any water overnight, and read it again in the morning. If it's moved, there's a leak somewhere.

7. Look after your shower head

A limescale-clogged shower head gives a weak, patchy spray. The result: you tend to crank the faucet up and stay in longer to rinse properly. Keeping your nozzles clean means keeping your spray effective.

• With silicone nozzles, a swipe of your finger now and then is enough to knock off the limescale.
• A white vinegar bath every so often makes it good as new.
• Pick the right spray for the job: a concentrated jet rinses out shampoo faster than a very soft rain.

The recap

• Pause while you lather.
• One or two songs, no more.
• A bucket for the cold water at the start.
• A slightly cooler temperature.
• Shower over bath.
• Zero leaks.
• Clean nozzles.

None of these takes any real effort. Put together, they become habits, and your bill follows suit.

The Showrz shower head was designed with these little habits in mind: a built-in pause button, three spray modes (rain, massage, power jet) and silicone nozzles you clean with a swipe of your finger. It comes on its own, as a filter version, or in the full kit with the no-drill rail. In nine colors, so good habits look good too.