Navy shower

{{Short description|Showering technique that saves water and time}}

File:Sprinkle, Soap, Scrub, and Shower.JPG describing a navy shower]]

A Navy shower (also known as a "combat shower", "military shower", "sea shower", "staggered shower", or "G.I. bath") is a method of showering that allows for significant conservation of water and energy by turning off the flow of water in the middle portion of the shower while lathering. The total running time of this kind of shower can last less than two minutes – using an initial thirty seconds or so to get wet, followed by shutting off the water, using soap and shampoo and lathering, then rinsing for a minute or less.{{Cite web |date=2009-03-29 |title=Navy Shower Can Reduce Water Use By 95 Percent |url=https://www.huffpost.com/entry/navy-shower-can-reduce-wa_n_170112 |access-date=2022-10-03 |website=HuffPost |language=en}}

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 concept has also been adopted by some other people who wish to conserve water and the energy needed to heat the water, for both environmental and economic reasons. According to the U.S. Department of Energy, water heating is typically the second-largest energy expense in homes (after space heating).{{cite web |title=Energy Saver: Tips on Saving Money & Energy at Home |url=http://energy.gov/sites/prod/files/2014/09/f18/61628_BK_EERE-EnergySavers_w150.pdf |format=PDF |publisher=US Department of Energy |date=September 2014|accessdate=January 17, 2016}}

Maritime cruisers often take navy showers when they are not in a port with easy access to fresh water. A ten-minute shower takes as much as {{convert|230|L|USgal|-1|sp=us}} of water, while a navy shower usually takes as little as {{convert|11|L|USgal|0|sp=us}}; one person can save up to {{convert|56000|L|USgal|-3|sp=us}} per year.{{cite web |year=2001 |title=The Conservation Balancing Act: Part II, In the Bathroom |url=http://ufdcimages.uflib.ufl.edu/IR/00/00/21/25/00001/FY13800.pdf |url-status=live |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20070316181310/http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/pdffiles/FY/FY13800.pdf |archivedate=March 16, 2007 |accessdate=2006-06-29 |publisher=University of Florida Institute of Food and Agriculture Services Electronic Data Information Source |format=PDF}}

In United States Navy parlance, the term "Hollywood shower" contrasts with a Navy shower, referring to a long shower with very high water usage.{{cite web|title=Special Document 333: SSC San Diego Guide For Fleet Support Personnel |url=http://www.spawar.navy.mil/sti/publications/pubs/sd/333/right.html |format=Text |publisher=Systems Center San Diego |year=2000 |accessdate=2006-07-01 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20050324093512/http://www.spawar.navy.mil/sti/publications/pubs/sd/333/right.html |archivedate=March 24, 2005}}{{cite news |first=Grant|last=Barrett |title=All We Are Saying |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2007/12/23/weekinreview/23buzzwords.html?ref=weekinreview |quote=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. |newspaper=New York Times |date=December 23, 2007 |accessdate=2007-12-24}}