apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

I think this would be a great product for kids who are just starting to take showers by themselves. It is a good reminder of how long they really need to be in there. Adults should be able to use a kitchen timer or an old alarm clock set in the bathroom that will motivate them to get out of the shower to turn it off.

I'll say nothing about buying bits of plastic if you promise to use your duckie timer to practice giving short speeches on famous quotations or whatever is on your mind, while you're lathering. That kind of little three-minute practice does more to improve public speaking skills than just about any other technique.

It's a wasteful gadget. We buy way too many of these types of things. Here's what I learned from showering in the bush in Africa where they give you one bucket of hot water:

Turn the tap off while you soap up and shampoo your hair. Doubtful that you'll take so long as to lose your hot water.

For me, having a clock in the bathroom is a must. In the mornings I muck around in there quite a bit - showering and doing my hair and makeup - and need to stay on schedule. Since I have a clear shower curtain (evil plastic ahoy!), I can see the clock from the shower, and I keep an eye on it.

No new purchases necessary, though that duck clock is pretty cute.

Why not just use an egg timer you already have (outside the actual shower, of course)?

Why not set an alarm clock to go off when your time is up?

Or do what I do when I want to allot myself a certain amount of time -- make an iTunes playlist in roughly the right amount of time. When the music stops, it's time to get out of the shower. Better to spend that $20 towards wiring your bathroom for sound than on yet another piece of plastic crap.

I use the timer feature on my cell phone for lots of stuff. In fact, I use my cell phone as an alarm clock (though I still use my CD player/radio alarm clock as a backup). I use my cell phone's calendar as a reminder to give pills to my cat, call into "HQ" when I'm on call, return library books, etc. I already take astonishingly quick showers so I don't think setting a timer would make a big difference for me, but if I needed to, I'd probably just set my cell phone timer and stick it on my bathroom counter.

I use an egg timer on a suction cup on the shower screen (photo here), and it's been a big help for getting me to cut down on my shower time. But if you don't already have a timer or clock of some sort that's bathroom-proof, I think the Ripple products are cute and useful.

Is this a REAL problem? Or just imagined?
Get wet, soap, rinse.

If I want a little relaxation, I fill the tub for a hot soak with some epsom salts.

Yes, taking long showers is a real problem. I have a dynamo power radio which I make myself crank partly as exercise and partly because it'll run out of juice by the time I should be done.

Agreed - actual problem. When I was a teenager I'd drive my dad insane because I showered for a HALF AN HOUR! I've emptied many hot water heaters. Now that I'm a grown up and know that I shouldn't, I try hard to keep it quick, but still get distracted sometimes and realize I was in there way too long. A timer would likely do me well, but I'll opt for nabbing the kitchen timer rather than getting a special one.

long showers? what on earth are you doing in there all that time? i seriously wonder that every time i hear someone taking what seems like an unnecessarily long shower.

I am totally guilty of taking longer showers than necessary. When I periodically reevaluate changes I could make in my life this is the one that comes up every time. Now, I'm not talking 20 minutes or anything but longer than necessary. But I can also live with cold, short camp showers so I know I can do it I just enjoy standing under the hot water. That said, I need to change my habits not buy a timer :-)

I bought a shower filter (from greenhome.com made by Rainshow'r) to cut out the chlorine and other nasties in my tap water. One super handy feature is a little button to turn off the water flow while I lather.

I think that I use less soap and less water since the soap isn't being washed off before it has done its job. I hate feeling rushed in the morning, and this lets me conserve without making each shower a race against the clock.

The only plastic part is the filter that will be replaced periodically. The rest of the unit is metal and looks and feels sturdy. I have only been using it for a few months so I can't testify about the long-term.

I was just wishing I had a shower timer this morning. I easily lose track of time in the shower, especially when I haven't slept enough. The shower can be like a warm cushy bed in the winter and it's pretty easy for me to start daydreaming (sometimes about crawling back into bed).