Bathroom Confessions: The Good, the Bad and the Grimy…

Washing is a basic tenet of our society. It’s one of the simplest acts of self-care, helping us to relax, and put a pause on the thoughts of life as the sounds of the water wash away our worries - if only for a couple of minutes. 

But, as with most things in life, when it comes to our bathroom hygiene habits, we all have different preferences. Whether that’s having a body wash that you can’t go without, preferring to wash in the morning rather than the night, or washing your hair before you do anything else. 

Preferences aside, the age-long argument remains: how often should you shower? 

To settle the debate once and for all, the team at Faith In Nature surveyed 1,000 adults* from across the UK to reveal the truth behind the nation’s bathroom hygiene habits. We asked them about everything, from whether they prefer a bath or shower, how kind their bathroom hygiene habits are to Nature, how washing makes them feel, how many people are using their phones while washing (yes, really!), and much more. 

So, get the bath running with your favourite soap at the ready, and check out all of the UK’s bathroom confessions below while you wait: 

How do bathroom hygiene habits compare across the UK?

Are British adults #TeamBath or #TeamShower? Our research found that the vast majority of people in the UK are #TeamShower, with over 4 in 5 (83%) saying they prefer showering over taking a bath. 

And drumroll…when it comes to how often Brits shower and when, the sweet spot is once a day, with the majority of people (59%) saying that the morning is their preferential time.  

When it comes to general bathroom hygiene and etiquette, another common debate that arises is: how often should you clean your bathroom? 

As a general rule of thumb, you should look to give your bathroom a good clean at least once a week. Cleaning can feel overwhelming when there are so many products to choose from, but a simple washing up liquid can more than handle the job! Check out more ways you can clean your home without dirtying the planet. 

Thankfully, our research found that the majority of Brits (77%) clean their bathrooms at least once a week. However, the equivalent of more than 3.3 MILLION¹ Brits confessed to only cleaning their bathroom once a month. 

When it comes to other questionable bathroom confessions, more than a fifth (21%) of Brits told us they’ve left products sitting in the shower long enough for them to become grimy or mouldy. 

And the matter of changing the toilet roll to a new one when it’s empty seems to be dividing the nation too. Nearly 3 in 10 (27%) people told us that they’ll often leave an empty toilet roll sitting on the holder instead of switching over to a fresh one. 

How are the nation's bathroom hygiene habits affecting the environment?

How much water does the average person use per day? Can’t be that much…right? Think again.

While research from Water UK found that most people (46%) think their household uses under 20 litres of water a day, the reality is, the average household in the UK pours their way through an average of 349 litres of water. Looking at individual litre count, people in the UK average around 142 litres each. 

So, how long is the average shower time in the UK? The average person in the UK showers for 9 minutes and 46 seconds, compared to an average of 20 minutes and 42 seconds for bathers. 

With showers using around 9 litres² of water per minute, this means the average person in the UK could be using as many as 88 litres of water in their daily shower! 

Looking at just the adults who told us they prefer showering to bathing, we estimate that adults in the UK could be using more than 3 BILLION³ litres of water showering every single day. That’s enough to fill around 1,400 Olympic-sized swimming pool⁴. 

Comparatively, the average bath uses around 80 litres of water, meaning the bathers of the nation are using around 651 million litres⁵ each day. Even if an equal number of people showered and bathers, showerers in the UK would still be using around 10% more water. 

However, we also found that the length of time Brits spend showering shortens quite significantly as they get older - more than 9 full minutes difference between the 18-24-year-olds and the over 65s! Check out how much water we estimate each age group uses while showering below:

Experts recommend the sweet spot for showering to make it better for the environment is 4 minutes, and while the majority (52%) of showering adults told us they’ve tried to cut the time they spend washing for environmental reasons, our average shower times show there’s still quite a way to go.  

It’s not just our hygiene habits in the bathroom that can play a role in the environment, the toilet - and what we admit to putting down it - has a lot to answer for. 

Almost 1 in 6 (14%) adults confessed to us that they flush wipes down their toilet. Another 1 in 6 (16%) say they flush period products down the toilet, and 1 in 6 (15%) admit to flushing condoms - eek! 

If you’re still asking yourself, “can you flush tampons” or “can you flush condoms”, then the answer is, no. 

Many of the period products, wipes, condoms, or anything else flushed down the toilet for that matter, don’t get filtered out of sewage at waste facilities. This means that they can eventually make their way to our rivers and beaches, causing all sorts of problems for wildlife.

What do we get up to in the bathroom?

The bathroom might feel like the only place we’re safe from the chains of technology, but our research can reveal that 1 in 5 (20%) people confess to using their mobile phone while washing!

This number rises to 2 in 5 (38%) when looking at young people (aged 18-34), and another 1 in 5 (21%) young people admit to even Facetiming or video calling while they’re in the bath or shower (compared to a 7% national average). 

It’s no secret the amount of time we spend looking at screens is ever-increasing. While reports of the nation’s average screen time range from 3 hours, right the way up to 8, experts recommend that adults should spend no more than 2 hours each day looking at screens outside of work. 

Why not disconnect from our modern, tech-frazzled existence one step further by trying some wild swimming or forest bathing? 

Nilou Esmaeilpou, counsellor, and founder of Lotus Therapy told us that the in an age of constant connectivity, young people are experiencing more FOMO (fear of missing out) than ever before, which “further pushes them to be online even on occasions set apart for personal time, such as bathing.” 

She also explained that: “Bathrooms have traditionally provided a personal space to let the mind unwind, reflect, and shut off from the outside world. 

“Taking a phone into this setting disrupts this potential for mental rest and recuperation integral to overall well-being.

“I would suggest people be very aware about setting boundaries around phone use, especially in the bathroom. 

“If there is constant phone use, especially in areas dedicated to personal care, this can increase anxiety and decrease the quality of personal interactions by replacing in-person conversations with digital ones. 

“It can be highly-rewarding to embrace moments not being connected. 

“Simple moments being more present and taking mental time away from digital stimulation can be refreshing.” 

What else did the nation confess to doing while washing? Take a look below.

Are men or women cleaner?

Our research found that while both the average man and woman are washing at least once a day, women are washing for an average of 2 minutes and 28 seconds longer than men. 

So, while neither sex is necessarily ‘cleaner’ than the other, there are a couple of bathroom hygiene habits men lose cleanliness points on. 

1 in 4 (25%) British men confessed to not washing their hands every time they use the toilet, compared to 17% of women. 

Our hands carry an average of 3,200 different germs, and simply improving the frequency and technique of how we wash our hands can reduce their transmission. NHS guidance recommends you should wash your hands for the amount of time it takes to sing ‘Happy Birthday’ twice (about 40 seconds). 

We’re saying nothing…but while you’re here, why not check out our hand soap? 

Take a look at the key bathroom confession differences between men and women below:

How do people feel about washing?

For around two-thirds (65%) of Brits, washing helps them to feel ‘calmer’, escaping normal life to their bathroom sanctuary. On the contrary, more than a quarter (26%) of Brits confessed that they find washing themselves more or a ‘chore’. 

Whether you like washing or not, our research found a more concerning trend within how the nation feels about washing: more than a third (37%) of British adults told us they feel negatively about their body image when in the bath or shower. 

This number rises to 44% when looking at just women, and is also higher in the people who prefer to bathe over showering (43% vs 36% for showerers). 

At Faith In Nature, we’re firm believers that the time we spend in any act of self-care should be filled with nothing but self-appreciation. 

As such, we’ve teamed up with Georgina Sturmer, Counsellor, MBACP to offer 3 top tips on how to overcome any negative thoughts about your body while washing:

1. Make it enjoyable

When our daily routine feels like Groundhog Day, then it’s easy to feel distracted and robotic. Think about how you can change up your washing routine to actively create an enjoyable experience. 

Allow some extra time, treat yourself to some nice products, and make the experience feel a little indulgent. When we feel grounded ‘in the moment’ we are likely to take more enjoyment from the simple pleasures. 

And this sense of enjoyment can help us to counteract any negative thoughts that come flooding in.

2. Affirmations

If your bathroom has become a place where your inner critic is amplified, consider what you can say to yourself in order to counteract the negativity. 

Be curious about what happens if you choose something positive about your body and voice it to yourself.  It might feel unfamiliar or embarrassing at first. 

But when we voice positive things to ourselves, it can help us to feel more confident and comfortable in our own skin.  And these affirmations don’t have to be about what our body looks like. 

They can be about what our body has achieved and how it looks after us each day.

3. Be realistic, not idealistic, about other people

When we judge our bodies harshly, it’s often because we are lining ourselves up against an imaginary comparison. 

It’s important to remember that most of the images that we have of other people when they are in the bath or the shower are airbrushed, filtered, and coordinated. 

It’s helpful to remember that for most of us, our natural state simply doesn’t match up to the images that are perpetuated around us. 

We are all human, with our own shape and size, our own skin, our own scars, and this is all part of our story.

Methodology

*All data in this article unless stated otherwise is from a consumer survey conducted amongst 1,000 British adults 18+ between 20th and 24th June 2024 via 3Gem

1 Extrapolated figures based on 2022 ONS figures that there are 47,731,503 18+ year olds in the UK. (7%) = 3,341,205.21.

2 Based on combined Statista figures, with the average electric shower using 5 litres of water per minute, and the average power shower using 13. 

3 Calculations based off 83% of adults using the same ONS figures as above (39,617,147) x 88 litres = 3,486,308,936

4 1394.52 - Olympic swimming pools generally hold around 2.5 million litres of water

5 Calculations based off 17% of adults (8,114,355) going for baths at 80 litres of water on average each time = 651,548,400