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I agree. A low-flow toilet still takes ~5 litres to flush; definitely the obvious thing to do is capture the used shower/sink water into a reservoir that then i

I agree. A low-flow toilet still takes ~5 litres to flush; definitely the obvious thing to do is capture the used shower/sink water into a reservoir that then is used to flush the toilet throughout the day. If the reservoir is inside, then even the energy used to heat the water is not lost, as it will warm the house while the tank cools down. But whenever I've looked into greywater capture systems, they seem mostly focused on an outdoor storage drum with rain-barrel type applications in mind (garden irrigation, etc). I mean, the other option is just not to have a shower every single day. I know the thought is horrifying to some, but a fully-grown adult can be perfectly presentable on 2-3 showers a week.

throwaway123x2 7y ago
I start stinking after ~18 hours no matter what deodorant I use.
- shantly 7y ago
  I need a couple showers a day or my bedding would start to collect oils & such so much that it starts causing skin issues when I sleep in it. I mean it does anyway but slowly enough that I can go a reasonable amount of time between washing it. A lot of my saved water and energy from showers would just go to washing all my bedding every day or two. [EDIT] of course I could clean off some other way, too, but dropping to only bathing in any serious fashion less than once a day is not something I'm much interested in trying, for this reason if no other.
- airstrike 7y ago
  Review your dietary habits (certain foods will make you stink much more, probably booze as well if I had to guess) and switch to an antiperspirant brand like Certain Dri
- Filligree 7y ago
  Do you use soap, on anything but your hands? That seems to be a prime cause of smelliness, and it's entirely unnecessary.
  - throwaway123x2 7y ago
    Yup, I soap all over
- cr0sh 7y ago
  Are you using deodorant, antiperspirant, or antiperspirant-deodorant? They are different. Deodorant is used to "cover up" or present a different odor; it's closer to perfume or cologne, just in a different form. Antiperspirant is used to keep you from perspiring; the most common form works by simply clogging the pores (temporarily). By itself, it does nothing for any other body odors. Combine them (the last option) and you get the best of both worlds. The only time you would use them separately is if in the first case, you have a different form of antiperspirant that you like to use vs your deodorant, or you have a particular perfume or cologne that doesn't go well together with the antiperspirant you like to use. But most people can find a combo that smells nice and works well for most of the day (and may even work well with their perfumes/colognes). All that said - if you are doing outdoor activities or hard labor, little to nothing will work to stop things altogether, and honestly, 18 hours is pretty good strength in my opinion. But - if things are really problematic - talk to your doctor. Make sure it isn't some physiological issue, or your diet (as recommended by another poster), or anything else. As a last resort, there are drugs and even surgery available for extremely severe issues (usually for those who perspire uncontrollably throughout the day and night).
  - deleted 7y ago
    [deleted]
  - throwaway123x2 7y ago
    I've used combinations of all 3, and it hasn't really made a difference to be honest. I'm ok with a shower a day and getting 18 hours of coverage - the point I was making was that I still need a shower a day. A lot of people can't get by with less without making people shuffle away from them in public.
OJFord 7y ago
> a fully-grown adult can be perfectly presentable on 2-3 showers a week My hair is very much not presentable (in the flat, not sticking up all over the place, way in which I'm accustomed to presenting it) without a morning shower. Some time at a sink may flatten it, and I accept that the resultant few-hours-later oiliness may not be present if that were normal instead of it being 'used' to being washed every day, but I really doubt that I would use much - if at all - less water flattening my hair at a sink than washing it, and then the rest of me as the water is subjected to gravity, in a shower.
- 52-6F-62 7y ago
  Ever try dry shampoo? My hair is growing out long and having a shower every day (especially in the winter) would leave me with a giant dry poof on top of my head. and then wet and freezing on the way to work. Dry shampoo works great.
armatav 7y ago
2-3 showers a week? Maybe if all you do is sit in a sterile room. One mildly warm commuter train ride and you’re donezo.
- mikepurvis 7y ago
  I'm a four season bike commuter, so my showers are often in the evening anyway. Especially in the winter, the last thing I want to do is put a helmet on top of damp hair and head out in the snow.
authoritarian 7y ago
I used to shower daily, but after slowly decreasing to 3 showers a week it's actually had a great improvement on both my skin and hair. I've read articles that have mentioned that it may be because showering too frequently strips your skin/hair of beneficial oils and/or bacteria but I'm not sure that's really the case. Either way, I've ended up both saving water and improving my health/appearance by showering less frequently, although it seems counter intuitive
- archi42 7y ago
  I second this - I have long hair (male), and when I shower every day my hair will become ugly much faster, requiring me to shower every day. Since a years I now take a full shower only every 2 to 3 days (depending on what I physically do), and that's much better for my hair. With some shampoos I have huge problems with my hair and would need to shower as much as twice a day. I think Head&Shoulders was pretty bad in that regard (it was fine for a year or two, but at some point became a problem - maybe the altered their formula). Of course I take additional showers when necessary (e.g. cycling to work or hot summer days), but even then I often get by with short showers and even omitting my hair. To be fair, I don't sweat heavily.
rsync 7y ago
"I know the thought is horrifying to some, but a fully-grown adult can be perfectly presentable on 2-3 showers a week." That's a very boring and sedentary life you're describing. Not muddy/dusty from bike rides / trail runs ... Not covered in sawdust / motor oil / gunpowder residue ... Not covered in other peoples' body fluids from wrestling / boxing / BJJ ... It's not a horrifying thought, not showering every day - it's a depressing thought.
- minitech 7y ago
  If you meant “some daily activities make more showers required”, you worded it in a weird way.
- mikepurvis 7y ago
  Yes, obviously some activities trigger the need for a shower. But then that's your shower for the next day or two unless something else comes up. FWIW, I am a four-season bike commuter (yay studded tires), I have young kids, and I occasionally get myself covered in sawdust in the basement, or covered in dirt in the garden, or covered in flour in the kitchen. But those are the exceptions, not every day.

throwaway123x2 7y ago

I start stinking after ~18 hours no matter what deodorant I use.

shantly 7y ago
I need a couple showers a day or my bedding would start to collect oils & such so much that it starts causing skin issues when I sleep in it. I mean it does anyway but slowly enough that I can go a reasonable amount of time between washing it. A lot of my saved water and energy from showers would just go to washing all my bedding every day or two. [EDIT] of course I could clean off some other way, too, but dropping to only bathing in any serious fashion less than once a day is not something I'm much interested in trying, for this reason if no other.
airstrike 7y ago
Review your dietary habits (certain foods will make you stink much more, probably booze as well if I had to guess) and switch to an antiperspirant brand like Certain Dri
Filligree 7y ago
Do you use soap, on anything but your hands? That seems to be a prime cause of smelliness, and it's entirely unnecessary.
- throwaway123x2 7y ago
  Yup, I soap all over
cr0sh 7y ago
Are you using deodorant, antiperspirant, or antiperspirant-deodorant? They are different. Deodorant is used to "cover up" or present a different odor; it's closer to perfume or cologne, just in a different form. Antiperspirant is used to keep you from perspiring; the most common form works by simply clogging the pores (temporarily). By itself, it does nothing for any other body odors. Combine them (the last option) and you get the best of both worlds. The only time you would use them separately is if in the first case, you have a different form of antiperspirant that you like to use vs your deodorant, or you have a particular perfume or cologne that doesn't go well together with the antiperspirant you like to use. But most people can find a combo that smells nice and works well for most of the day (and may even work well with their perfumes/colognes). All that said - if you are doing outdoor activities or hard labor, little to nothing will work to stop things altogether, and honestly, 18 hours is pretty good strength in my opinion. But - if things are really problematic - talk to your doctor. Make sure it isn't some physiological issue, or your diet (as recommended by another poster), or anything else. As a last resort, there are drugs and even surgery available for extremely severe issues (usually for those who perspire uncontrollably throughout the day and night).
- deleted 7y ago
  [deleted]
- throwaway123x2 7y ago
  I've used combinations of all 3, and it hasn't really made a difference to be honest. I'm ok with a shower a day and getting 18 hours of coverage - the point I was making was that I still need a shower a day. A lot of people can't get by with less without making people shuffle away from them in public.

OJFord 7y ago

> a fully-grown adult can be perfectly presentable on 2-3 showers a week My hair is very much not presentable (in the flat, not sticking up all over the place, way in which I'm accustomed to presenting it) without a morning shower. Some time at a sink may flatten it, and I accept that the resultant few-hours-later oiliness may not be present if that were normal instead of it being 'used' to being washed every day, but I really doubt that I would use much - if at all - less water flattening my hair at a sink than washing it, and then the rest of me as the water is subjected to gravity, in a shower.

52-6F-62 7y ago
Ever try dry shampoo? My hair is growing out long and having a shower every day (especially in the winter) would leave me with a giant dry poof on top of my head. and then wet and freezing on the way to work. Dry shampoo works great.

armatav 7y ago

2-3 showers a week? Maybe if all you do is sit in a sterile room. One mildly warm commuter train ride and you’re donezo.

mikepurvis 7y ago
I'm a four season bike commuter, so my showers are often in the evening anyway. Especially in the winter, the last thing I want to do is put a helmet on top of damp hair and head out in the snow.

authoritarian 7y ago

I used to shower daily, but after slowly decreasing to 3 showers a week it's actually had a great improvement on both my skin and hair. I've read articles that have mentioned that it may be because showering too frequently strips your skin/hair of beneficial oils and/or bacteria but I'm not sure that's really the case. Either way, I've ended up both saving water and improving my health/appearance by showering less frequently, although it seems counter intuitive

archi42 7y ago
I second this - I have long hair (male), and when I shower every day my hair will become ugly much faster, requiring me to shower every day. Since a years I now take a full shower only every 2 to 3 days (depending on what I physically do), and that's much better for my hair. With some shampoos I have huge problems with my hair and would need to shower as much as twice a day. I think Head&Shoulders was pretty bad in that regard (it was fine for a year or two, but at some point became a problem - maybe the altered their formula). Of course I take additional showers when necessary (e.g. cycling to work or hot summer days), but even then I often get by with short showers and even omitting my hair. To be fair, I don't sweat heavily.

rsync 7y ago

"I know the thought is horrifying to some, but a fully-grown adult can be perfectly presentable on 2-3 showers a week." That's a very boring and sedentary life you're describing. Not muddy/dusty from bike rides / trail runs ... Not covered in sawdust / motor oil / gunpowder residue ... Not covered in other peoples' body fluids from wrestling / boxing / BJJ ... It's not a horrifying thought, not showering every day - it's a depressing thought.

minitech 7y ago
If you meant “some daily activities make more showers required”, you worded it in a weird way.
mikepurvis 7y ago
Yes, obviously some activities trigger the need for a shower. But then that's your shower for the next day or two unless something else comes up. FWIW, I am a four-season bike commuter (yay studded tires), I have young kids, and I occasionally get myself covered in sawdust in the basement, or covered in dirt in the garden, or covered in flour in the kitchen. But those are the exceptions, not every day.