Navy shower

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A navy shower (or "sea shower") is a method of showering that allows for significant conservation of water and energy. The steps in a basic navy shower are:

  1. turn on the water
  2. immediately wet the body
  3. turn off the water
  4. soap up and scrub
  5. turn the water back on and rinse off the soap

The total time for the water being on is typically under two minutes.

Navy showers originated on naval ships, where supplies of fresh water were often scarce. Using this method, crew members were able to stay clean, while conserving their limited water supply. The idea has been adopted by many people who wish to conserve water and the energy needed to heat the water, for both environmental and economic reasons. Maritime cruisers often take navy showers when they aren't in a port with easy access to fresh water. A ten-minute shower takes as much as 230 L (60 U.S. gallons) of water, while a navy shower usually takes as little as 11 L (3 U.S. gallons); one person can save 56,000 L (15,000 U.S. gallons) per year.[1]

The United States Navy phrase Hollywood shower contrasts with navy shower, and refers to long lavish showers without limits on water usage – typically given as a reward for navy personnel at sea or following excess water production by the ship's distilling plant occurred, frequently taken by the ship's engineering department.[2][3]

[edit] References

  1. ^ The Conservation Balancing Act: Part II, In the Bathroom (PDF). University of Florida Institute of Food and Agriculture Services Electronic Data Information Source (2001). Retrieved on 2006-06-29.
  2. ^ Special Document 333: SSC San Diego Guide For Fleet Support Personnel (Text). Systems Center San Diego (2000). Retrieved on 2006-07-01.
  3. ^ "All We Are Saying", New York Times. Retrieved on 2007-12-24. "Navy Shower: A very short shower in which you turn off the water while lathering up. This old term is also known as a G.I. bath, but it’s new to many in the drought-stricken Southeast. Its antonym is the Hollywood shower, a long, wasteful one." 
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