Published: 11:29 BST, 5 September 2026 | Updated: 11:34 BST, 5 September 2026
For some people, a shower is a quick pit stop. For others, it's a spa, therapy session and concert venue rolled into one.
Now, scientists have weighed in on just how long we should really be spending under the stream of water.
According to Dr Pablo Pereira–Doel, an environmental scientist from the University of Surrey, people having a body–only shower only need three minutes to get the job done.
'Three minutes is a sensible target for a body shower, with two more if you're washing your hair,' he told the Daily Mail.
'This includes leisure water, meaning enjoyment under the shower.'
Ultra-conscientious bathers who turn off the tap while lathering could get this down to just one minute for a quick body rinse, two minutes if you add shampoo and three minutes with conditioner, he said.
Experts said people should aim to spend four to five minutes in the shower in total, in order to cut down on water consumption
In the UK, household showers last around 7.5 minutes on average, according to Dr Pereira–Doel.
However, studies have shown that showers regularly run over 10 minutes, with some people spending close to 40 minutes under the stream of water.
'As for why people linger… the answer is that for a large share of showers, getting clean isn't the point,' he explained.
'Over four in 10 showers in our sample were taken for reasons unrelated to hygiene: relaxation, self–care, warming up on a cold morning. When a shower is doing that job, its length isn't a decision anyone is consciously making.'
People in soft water areas tend to shower around a fifth longer than those in hard water areas, he said.
'The likely explanation is that shampoo lathers more richly and rinses more easily in soft water, so the shower feels better and people linger,' he added.
Morning showers also tend to be shorter, because most people have somewhere they need to be. Meanwhile, with evening or weekend showers, there is less of a time constraint.
