It seems that daily showering isn't a habit that everyone partakes in - just 48.5% of the survey respondents said they take a shower every day, while 33.1% shower every other day. Just under 14% shower a couple of times per week and it's just once a week for 2.2%.
Here is a look a few bathing habits by country, including baths versus showers and considerations like frequency. From the most showered country in the world (Brazil) to the most commonly bathed country (the UK), we all have our preferences.
Previous research by Energy Australia revealed 29 per cent of us hit the shower twice daily, while 9 per cent boasted three showers a day. Compare this to the shower-shy Chinese: 50 per cent claim to wash twice a week, while in Sweden less than 50 per cent of women bother with a daily wash. Squeaky clean?
An average shower uses 10 litres of water a minute. As a result, Irish Water are currently asking people to time their showers, and get in and out in four minutes.
68% of British people wash every day, compared to 76% of French people and 77% of Germans. Only Italy reported fewer instances of washing daily, coming in at 53%. We've been taught to wash daily, not least because of the active things we do, from exercise to lunchtime walks and more.
Weekly Bathing Breakdown: On average Spanish citizens have 7 showers and 2 baths a week. Weekly bathing breakdown – On average French citizens have 7 showers and 2 baths a week. Daily shower stats – 76% of women and 71% of men shower once a day.
Approximately two-thirds of Americans shower daily. In Australia it's over 80%. But in China, about half of people report bathing only twice a week. In the US, the daily shower tends to start around puberty and becomes lifelong.
This depends on the length of the shower taken and the type of head on the shower. The average shower duration is approximately 7 minutes and the average shower volume is approximately 55 litres.
Generally, people shower somewhere between every other day and twice a day, depending on their personal preference and how their skin reacts to getting hosed down, says Jeffrey Cohen, a dermatologist and assistant professor at the Yale School of Medicine.
"A sedentary person can get away with a shower once, twice or three times a week, especially in winter," he said. "It varies on your skin type and what you're doing. If you're sweaty and dirty, you need a shower, while those with sensitive skins – the elderly and babies – need less showering time."
Bathing once or twice a week is acceptable for older adults, as the purpose is to prevent the skin from breaking down and lower the risk of skin infections. Seniors also tend to be less active than younger adults, so they can get away with fewer baths.
The standard shower dimensions in Australia is 900mm by 900mm (perfect for singing in the shower), though we're seeing a shift towards more open and larger showers (perhaps to work on that dance number too?) Remember, you'll need to consider the type of shower enclosure you want to use.
How often does the average guy shower? A recent survey showed only 60% of men showered daily, then 12% of men showered more than once a day. Maybe these guys all lived in a tropical rainforest? 15% of guys showered every other day, 9% every few days, and a particularly stinky 2% showered once a week or less.
When counting people who shower every day, Mexicans and Australians led significantly, followed by Americans and the French. Brits, Russians, Swedes and Germans averaged less, with Chinese coming in the least frequent.
The Himba people live in one of the most extreme environments on earth with the harsh desert climate and the unavailability of potable water. However, their lack of bathing has not resulted into lack of personal hygiene.
For the rest of the world, the average number of showers per week is five. Ninety-nine percent of Brazilians shower each week, compared to only 90 percent of Americans. Great Britain has the lowest rate of showering per week, at 83 percent.
We must bathe at least once a day and we must do Wudu before our prayers. We should also wash and dry ourselves properly everytime we use the toilet and remember to wash and clean our hands. We know how easily germs spread from our very own hands to our bodies as well as to other people.
Traditionally, bathing is viewed to be a ritual of large cultural importance, although it has evolved into being less ritualistic and more of a common practice. Research by the Kantar World Panel, goes on to say that 85% of people shower per week in China and average 6 showers per week.
Many doctors say a daily shower is fine for most people. (More than that could start to cause skin problems.) But for many people, two to three times a week is enough and may be even better to maintain good health. It depends in part on your lifestyle.
The standard door width in Australia is 820mm plus and architrave and wall space either side, so it's likely you'll want the room to be at least one metre wide. We always say to ensure a minimum of 900x900mm for an enclosed shower but a space of 1000x1000mm is preferable, if possible.
“Humans tend to perspire at night,” Dr. Goldenberg said. “When you wake up in the morning, there's all this sweat and bacteria from the sheets that's just kind of sitting there on your skin.” So take a quick shower in the morning, he said, “to wash all of that gunk and sweat off that you've been sleeping in all night.”
For a small space, you might choose a walk-in shower with dimensions of around 35 x 35 inches (90 x 90 cm). This is considered a bare minimum as anything smaller than this can lead to water splashing outside of the shower itself.
In Spain, France, and South Africa, the average number of showers each week is seven, which means that most people are hopping in for a wash once a day.
Generally we have found that women shower for a longer period than men. The average shower time of a man is about 7 minutes, whereas the average shower time of a woman is 9 minutes.