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I brush for 2 minutes (my electric toothbrush let's me know when it's been 2 min) and I can't imagine leaving the water on for that long. Then again, my Father is an Environmental Engineer and growing up we would get in trouble for wasting water in such a way so it's automatic for me to turn it off.

I have to admit I also tend to wander from room to room while I'm brushing...it's boring to just stand there and watch myself!

Back in my college days in the dorms, I was amazed to see how many kids left the water running full blast during everything: shaving, brushing teeth, putting in contacts, etc.

Seriously... do people still leave the water on when they brush? I can't even imagine that!

I hate this tip. It's lauded everywhere from Sesame Street to crappy health magazines that urge you to "go green" in order to sell ads to pharmaceutical companies. The calculations are useful, but it's just so common sense. Are there really legions of people who aren't following this guideline? It's decades old.

I remember seeing this being touted on said kids' TV show and thinking "what? Grown-ups are the ones with all the money and power - why the hell are they trying to get us to turn off the faucet, when they could be turning off the interstate system?"

I remember thinking "who does this?" when the Ninja Turtles advised us to turn off water when brushing in the early '90s. Is there really an epidemic of people who leave the water on when they brush?

Michelangelo also taught us not to throw away the batteries from our boom box...

Will someone also calculate how much energy is saved if we all used a manual toothbrush instead of the electric ones?

I am really curious.

I would always turn off the water while I brushed my teeth.

But now, in my current abode - it takes that long for the water to get warm enough to wash my face so I have to let it run. Breaks my heart.

I've been thinking of setting an alarm on my phone to remind me to wash my face for bed around the same time as the rest of the people in my building... (something crazy like 9:30pm!!! I'm not even thinking about bed at that early) then the warm water would already be on tap on the third floor. And I could turn the water off while I brush the teeth.

Am I the only person on the planet who DOESN'T turn on the water when I brush my teeth? And I don't mean "keep it on" I mean turn it on, period... as is, the faucet doesn't get turned on until I'm ready to rinse.

Slightly off topic- how about turning off the shower while lathering? I bought an inexpensive adapter for my showerhead that restricts the water flow to almost nothing (just a slight trickle). See for yourself :
http://www.lowes.com/lowes/lkn?action=productDetail&productId=24351-143-PP22508
The water stays warm after resuming the flow. I figure it takes me about two to three minutes to lather, saving about 5-6 gallons of water per shower.

Sparkle - how do you make it foamy without a wet brush to start with?

I have always turned the faucet off and even turn it off when soaping up or shaving my legs in the shower and when scrubbing my face at night.

I've got a circulating heat pump on my water heater than circulates warm water in the pipes so the water is warm out of the tap right away (it has a timer on it so you can indicate the hours you want it to circulate and when you don't, like when sleeping). My gas bill is pretty small each month, so I don't think it wastes too much energy.

Okay, so if we all turn the water off while we brush, why don't we...

Try not flushing every time you pee.

Try wearing your jeans one more time before you wash them.

Try to hold out a little bit longer before you wash the car again.

Minpin, I am sure I am not alone when I say I have been doing all of the above for many years.

clickchick: If you have plants, collect the water until your faucet gets warm and use that for them.

When I first heard about turning off the water while brushing your teeth I thought, what a stupid suggestion! Who in their right mind leaves the water on?! Quick spritz to foam the brush then on for the rinse. What purpose does it serve to have the water running the whole time?

I don't turn the water on until I rinse either.

Also, I think it's standard in europe (at least in france) to turn the water off in the shower if you are not rinsing. When I studied abroad, we were told that if we kept the water running the entire time, we might annoy our house families. Virtually all of the homes and hotels I stayed in had a handheld shower head that actually would've been annoying to keep running while lathering up.

But as for this "tip" doesn't it fall under the heading of duh?

Don't be a water hog. :)

who doesn't turn the water off while brushing???

I hate that my boyfriend leaves the faucet on FULLBLAST while he brushes his teeth. But I don't know which is worse...the fact that he leaves the faucet on or the fact that he doesn't brush his teeth for 2 mintues....ewww.

It's habits like this that cause us girls to be a nag, but I'm determinded.

Hey I'll be the first to admit that *gasp* I do leave the water on while I brush my teeth. Good thing I don't brush that often! Hehe.

But all kidding aside, I guess it's just a habit you don't notice until someone points it out. Thanks AT. :)

I'm sure this will turn out to be a dumb question, but where does the water go after it goes down the drain? I always assumed it went back to a lake or river and the local water treatment facility would clean it up and send it back into the water supply. Isn't it just being filtered and recirculated?

Are there really legions of people who aren't following this guideline?

I've never seen anyone in California do this, although I also grew up during the seemingly never-ending drought in the '80s.

Although it amazes me how people in Washington state behave. My sister will turn on the water to rinse off a dish, put the dish in the dishwasher, wipe down the counter, put something back in the fridge, and then I break down and turn the dang water off for her.

I've been doing this for the last 15 years. Unbelievable that people still need to be told about this!

@ LilyC: My mouth is plenty wet to make it "foamy." Though I've never had a specific need for my toothpaste to be "foamy" I mean... it's toothPASTE, not toothFOAM.