apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

hilarious!

You will finish showering...OR DIE!! Wow.

That first picture seriously freaks me out.

how long do you get? and i would think that being strangled by plastic is not the best idea.

This creeps me out!

Timer?

somehow suffocating in plastic seems less than an appealing design or 'eco -conscious' choice...

If I in a conservation frame of mind I fall back on the old 'Navy Shower'.

1. Get wet
2. Turn off water
3. Lather
4. Rinse
5. Turn off water

If you used more than 2-3 gallons it was called a 'Hollywood Shower' and meant you were doing it wrong.

My handheld showerhead is the bestest because it can pause the water flow with a simple button press. A quick pre soap up moistening then slightly longer rinse is all I need. I probably run the water about 2-3 minutes total.

Am I the only one confused by the product in the first photo? Maybe I am just out of the loop...

Regarding conservation techniques: I don't shower every day.

Just shower and stop, that's all. Don't daydream or soak or luxuriate... get clean and get out. Five minutes, tops, no special tools or contrivances required. (I confess that I do not follow this for aching muscle showers -- when I don't have the time or inclination for a soaking bath, but I ache from yard work or something. Those may be up to ten minutes, and only happen a few times a year, mainly in spring raking/planting/composting/etc. time and in fall cleanup time.)

These look like torture devices!
Is this what you call "waterboarding"?

Clapmers, I was confused for as while as well.

She is standing in the shower and has been there too long so now this plastic has inflated and it squeezing her. Talk about 'High Concept".

If you use one of these and get stuck because you showered too long, it's going to take even longer to get out!

Surprisingly, the first one might actually work for me. I HATE when my shower curtain touches me!

ooh, more than a conservation tool, I see this as a really good bathroom cleanliness motivator. I would be sure to keep my shower curtain mildew free if it was creeping closer a closer to me as in photo one. Also, what a great surprise for your guests!

What a way to turn something relaxing into a nightmare!

I try to do quickie showere during the work week, but I have to have one long shower per week. Sorry but I like it and miss the good old days of long hot baths.

great way to get my roommate to stop emptying the entire water heater . . .

erm ... is it April 1?

i think they are really silly. i take a timer into the bathroom and stick to the time i set it to, basta. i do not even own a shower curtain, which is even "greener" than using a plastic one :-P

Best way to take a quick shower? Oversleep & keep a clock in sight. Has more to do with getting to work on time than saving water, but, ya know, whatever works.

Another way to take a quick shower... have a baby. You'll barely have time enough to go to the bathroom in peace. Just my experience. :-)

It seems ridiculous to promote conservation by mass producing more new products out of plastics. Are these BPA-free plastics? What happened to the old fashioned kitchen timer?

I love the rubber ducky's expression in the first photo.

Haha, these would be fun to spring on guests! The first one ofcourse though... The second is kind of obvious that it does something.
I just conserve water in the shower by taking a shower with someone else ;) 1 shower instead of 2.

Haha! These are so great. Not very practical, but still great.

I keep a clock in my bathroom. Not only does it help me monitor the time I've spent in the shower, it's great for brushing my teeth for the appropriate length of time and making sure I don't spend too long getting ready for any event :)

I do the Navy shower thing too, but didn't know it was a Navy thing! I remember learning it in school as a kid in So Cal when the Ricky the Raindrop program was teaching us water conservation during the mid-late 70's. I make it a game and see how little water I can use.

I also have a circulating heat pump on my water heater I can set a timer on the heater to have instant hot water at the times I usually need it (shower time, dishwasher time). No waiting for the water to heat up.

And turn off the water while you are shaving your legs...

While I'm all for saving water, taking shorter showers seems to be a pretty inefficient way to do it. Compared to industrial water use these kind of efforts make little impact. Something is better than nothing, I know, but this is just a green gimmick. Cluttering up your life with green gadgets strikes me as much higher impact than just enjoying a long rinse and foregoing the extra plastic, the energy burned manufacturing, transporting, recycling and or dumping that plastic shower curtain in the landfill when the idea gets old (or mildewy).

Thank you, Homoimprovement. Exactly.

Is that Laura Palmer?

I like my shower. hot. not too long, but not short at all. Do I feel guilty? Only sometimes. Hot shower in the morning wakes me up, warms me up, and helps my sore muscles (unfortunately pretty often occurrence).
BUT I don't have a car, I walk everywhere or take public transportation. I live in a rather small apartment, and use AC on heating with a lot of care. I hardly fly anywhere ... and so on.
no, I don't really feel guilty ;-)

egg timer and always doing things in the same order. this way i can do it in less that

As long as they're still using regular tap water to wash the jets at the airport (they were during the shortage in 2002: http://www.gothamgazette.com/iotw/drought/), I will be glad that the building pays for water and shower or bathe as long as I would like; and I'll continue to request a glass of it in restaurants too). Individuals taking showers are not what's wasting water.

Airports and businesses like laundromats are prime water wastes. On an individual home basis, I also expect toilets, washing machines, watering lawns and washing cars all use more than a typical shower or bath.

Which uses more energy -- a long shower or a warm house? Because if I'm going to turn off the water while showering in the middle of winter, I'm gonna have to crank the heat up a LOT higher than I normally do.

make sure you have the entire floor of the shower COVERED is bath daisies... you fall, you die. suffocated by plastic.

i've fallen, and i can't get.... *dead*

here's a green solution! let's buy more stuff and throw out our perfectly good plastic shower curtain and put it in a landfill.

I thought it was a walk through "car wash" shower curtain. LOL

rosenatti, I agree, the duck's expression says so much.

That is HILARIOUS!!!!
Great for over night guests who stay too long!

i see the appeal, but it's just more plastic for landfill. take a navy shower--water on, water off, soap up, rinse off, done. ideally, and if you love the planet. conserving water on ships is pretty essential, and we could all take a cue.

I just set a timer. The model's face in the first picture doesn't look like she's bothered much by it....

I agree this is just wasteful... if you're concerned with wasting water don't dilly dally in the shower :) Maybe shower every other day if possible, soap is bad for your hair and skin anyway. For me, I never take longer than ten mins. Just use a timer if it's an issue, or hang a cute clock in your bathroom and keep track of time.

And I'm right there with you amyeliz... If i'm going to turn the water off in the middle of my shower I need to turn on a heater because it's way too cold where I live to not keep the water running. I have glass doors anyway, less plastic at a landfill.

I might be inclined to get the pokey one, but hang it poker side out...once they are inflated, I would still get the idea...admittedly clever ideas..although there seems to be a question of safety involving the curtain that strangles you..just sayin.
Personally I just shower and get out..takes anywhere from 5-8 min, it is the "getting ready" for me that takes the longest. If only they could devise something for us who are slow to get ready in the morning..you know a pokey thing, but I am pretty sure some days my SO would do the strangling with out a shower curtain...LOL.

The first picture scares you off from showering period. Spooky

How strange! I think I'd rather just time myself.

http://thebluepearlgirl.blogspot.com

My awful water tank only provides 10 minutes of hot water, so unless I want to freeze, after 10 minutes I have to jump out (a pain on hairwash days).

No navy showers here. I'd probably get hypothermia if I tried to stand around dripping wet in this freezing place. I'm doing more for the environment by keeping my temp turned down.

Don't shower everyday (unless you're a farmer, or an athelete, what's the point?)
After several minutes in the shower, I begin turning the water cooler and cooler until it's not comfortable to stay in there anymore.

These seem to be a little too gimicky to actually do any use! I agree a timer is a much better idea...

http://www.ethicalsuperstore.com/products/ecosavers/ecosavers-water-drop-shower-timer/#jump_product_description

What's really weird is that it looks like she's holding a can of beer in her hand while she's being strangled.

Oh, wait, now I see the shampoo bottle cap. But I like my first interpretation better.

Ouch! Why would anyone do that to themselves?

The fact that its plastic prob negates the fact that it would "help" save on water but I suppose strangling 1/2 the unsuspecting population would lessen the people on earth and therefore lessen the amt of resources we use and thus save the earth!!! lol wow is all I can say

-email from my best friend upon sending her this link. ha.

there is a kind of preachy holier-than-thou-ness to this that is a bit infuriating to me. i've been angry about it since i saw it on inhabitat. perhaps the inventor of the curtain was too busy experimenting with plastics during high school psychology, but there have been more than a few studies done about positive vs negative reinforcement as a way to alter behavior. save the planet or i'll strangle you? not okay.

and even though the "prototypes" have already been designed, the liabilities inherent mean, as far as i understood from that post, that there were no plans to send these things into production. i don't blame them; what smart company would touch this? all it takes is one elderly person having a stroke and then being compressed to death for the lawsuits to start rolling out.