5 Shower Habits to Kick
Most of us look forward to taking our daily showers. Showering might be the first thing you do when you wake up in the morning or the last thing you do before you go to sleep each night. When we turn the knob to get the hot water going, we probably don’t realize that some of the habits we have when we take a shower could be affecting our home’s plumbing system.
If you want to learn about some common showering mistakes that could ruin your plumbing, keep on reading to find out.
Excessively Long, Hot Showers
There are definitely times where nothing seems better than taking a long, hot shower after a long day at work. It’s your time to pamper yourself, wash your hair, and relax. However, if you’re taking an excessively long shower with the water at the hottest temperature every single day, it not only can increase your water bill and leave the rest of your family with no hot water for the day, but it’s the perfect environment to grow mold or mildew in your bathroom. When your bathroom gets humid, the moisture can cause mold or mildew to grow in your shower.
To avoid this, run the bathroom fan or keep the door cracked when you shower. Cutting your showers down by just a few minutes can also make the biggest difference.
Ignoring Water on the Floor
While this might seem pretty obvious, not everyone thinks to clean up the water on their bathroom floor after they step out of the shower. You wouldn’t leave water sitting on your kitchen or even your bedroom floor if you spilled a glass of water, so the same applies to your bathroom! While most homeowners step onto a bath mat or a towel when they get out of the shower, water can easily land on the floor while you’re drying off. Make sure you don’t leave water on the floor after you shower as it can damage your floors and cause mold to grow.
Leaving Hair in the Drain
If you aren’t clearing your hair from the drain after each shower, you’re doing it wrong! Hair is one of the biggest culprits of drain clogs and if you’re leaving hair in your shower drain, this is a recipe for damaged pipes. To avoid blockages in your drain, use a drain cover to catch your hair so it doesn’t make its way into your plumbing system.
Keeping Your Loofah in the Shower
Keeping your loofah in the shower seems to be the same thing as leaving your shampoo, conditioner, and body wash in the shower, right? Wrong! Leaving your loofah in the shower after you use it is the perfect environment for bacteria growth due to the moisture it will collect after each use. Besides, if we’re using a loofah on our skin that has bacteria on it, that defeats the purpose of cleaning ourselves in the shower. After you use your loofah, make sure you wring it dry and store it in a dry place. You can also use antibacterial soap to cleanse it of the bacteria.
Ignoring Hard Water
Showerheads and faucets are very susceptible to hard water build-up. While hard water can be irritating for your hair and skin, it can also collect on the nozzles of your showerhead, preventing water from flowing out of it at the normal pressure it should be. To clean your showerhead, fill a plastic bag with white vinegar and secure it around your showerhead. Let the showerhead soak in the solution for about 30 minutes and then wipe away the remaining residue.
At Nautilus Plumbing, we understand how important our daily showers are, which is why we want to make sure you’re getting the most out of yours! If you’re dealing with hard water issues or drain clogs, give us a call at (323) 629-4627 or fill out our online contact form to learn more about our services.