It’s time for our latest Friday Poll!
This week, we’d like to know how many showers you have in your home.
Happy Friday everyone!
Tag Archives: shower
Interesting Facts About Showers [Infographic]
Today is World Water Way, and to raise awareness of water usage, we have posted a fascinating infographic about showering.
In the UK, around 68% of household water is used in the bathroom – mostly in toilet flushing and showers and baths.
We also found the Men vs Women statistics particularly interesting.
For example, 70% of men shower daily compared to 57% of women, however, 64% of women think about to-do lists in the shower compared to 48% of men. So does this mean that women are too busy to shower everyday? And when they do, they are still thinking about other tasks to do? This may be why they tend to shower for 2 minutes longer than men.
Have a read through and leave a comment to let us know what you think…
14% of UK Homes Don’t Have A Shower
We recently read a report published by AMA Research and found out that 86% of UK homes have at least one shower. That means that 14% of homes in the UK don’t have a shower. This got us thinking about how popular showers have become in the UK, and how today they’re just part of our everyday lives which we don’t really think about. So we decided to do some investigation into the history of showers. We wondered…
Where did showers come from originally?
Who designed the first showers?
How did people wash in the past?
And we found some interesting results. So interesting in fact, that we created a bright and colourful infographic (see below).
Here are some of the key findings:
- In the UK, 86% of homes have at least one shower [Source: AMA Research] [Tweet This]
- 30% of UK homes have 2 or more showers [Source: AMA Research] [Tweet This]
- The average person in the UK spends 8 minutes in the shower [Source: BBC News] [Tweet This]
- An average shower uses 62 litres of water, compared to 80 litres in a bath [Source: BBC News] [Tweet This]
In terms of the history of showers, we found these interesting facts…!
- The first showers known to man were Waterfalls! #Natural [Tweet This]
- The Ancient Greeks designed the first proper showers using aqueducts #Innovative [Tweet This]
- During the Black Death, almost 1/3 of Europe’s population died – partly due to a lack of cleanliness #Shocking [Tweet This]
- The First ‘Designer Shower’ was called The English Regency #Snazzy [Tweet This]
- Electric Showers were originally called Tankless Water Heaters #InventiveName! [Tweet This]
You can read the entire infographic below. We’d love you to share it with your readers. If you would like to, please copy and paste the following code to add it to your site:
<img title=”The History of Showers – Infographic” alt=”The History of Showers – Infographic” src=”http://www.gainsboroughshowers.co.uk/upload/Infographics/HistoryofShowers.jpg” width=”574″ height=”3492″ border=”0″/>
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[Source: <a href="http://www.gainsboroughshowers.co.uk/">Gainsborough Showers</a>]
Do you ever work in the bathroom?
Apparently 5% of UK home workers do!
A survey of 1,000 office workers conducted by online and remote meetings software company TeamViewer has uncovered some of the ‘working from home’ habits of UK workers.
Interestingly, most of the respondents (68%) would like to work from home, and a massive 78% would prefer more flexible working arrangements, and said this would boost job satisfaction in the absence of pay increases. Half of those surveyed would like to travel less for work.
Of those that do work from home, either occasionally or frequently, there were some strange locations revealed – with 14% choosing to work in the garden, 13% in bed, 7% while cooking, and 5% admitted to having done work whilst in the bathroom, but presumably not when showering?! Although, perhaps this 5% do count showering as working, as it’s usually in the shower when moments of inspiration tend to strike!
Photo by Tim Marman
Another interesting revelation was that only one-third said they always showered before starting work from home, yet 36% make sure to take tea breaks at the same time each day when working from home. It shows that while the locations may be slightly unusual, home workers like to keep routine whether working in the office or from home.
How about you? Do you ever work in the shower or bathroom?
The Benefits of Warm Showers
Taking showers of temperatures between 35 – 40 degrees have been shown to have significant health benefits. Not only does it feel great to have a lovely, warm, shower, it can also do wonders for your muscles, joints and overall body condition. Here are some of the benefits of warm showers:
Cleanse the Skin
This is the primary reason for taking warm showers. Hot water and steam open the pores on your skin making it easier to clean them of dirt and impurities. Following a warm shower with a cold rinse afterwards will close the pores and refresh your skin.
Improve your Circulation
Warm water has shown benefits for treating muscular and joint pain – often associated with arthritis and muscle strains. The warm temperature of the water can stimulate blood flow and circulation whilst also loosening muscles, tendons and joints to ease pain and reduce inflammation. A hot shower will not cure the problem completely, but spending 5 minutes under warm water will have some positive effects, plus it’s cheaper and more convenient than a massage and more holistic than some medical treatments.
Stress Relief
Taking a warm shower for 10 minutes will calm you down, relax your body and distress your mind – perfect if you’re suffering from stress or having a bad day. Taking a warm shower before bedtime can also help aid sleep, and is a good idea for anyone suffering from insomnia or lack of sleep. Adding lavender oil can also help aid benefits as it is a natural relaxant.
Using essential oils can help to create a ‘spa-like’ feel to your bathroom
Cold & Cough Relief
Steam can have a positive effect on colds, coughs and sore throats as it loosens phlegm and mucus that can cause discomfort. The additional of essential oils, such as eucalyptus oil, to your skin can help you breathe more easily. A hot shower can also help to relieve body aches that can be associated with illness.
Sleep Problems & Insomnia
A warm shower before bedtime can do wonders for helping encourage sleep. The warm water and steam can help to induce your body into sleep mode by altering your body temperature. After warming yourself in the shower, your body temperature will start to cool down after you enter your bedroom. This change in body temperature incites drowsiness and will help you fall asleep much easier. In addition, the feeling of being clean and refreshed will make you more relaxed and help you to sleep better. Regularly taking warm showers before bed will condition your body into a bedtime routine. Make sure that your shower is warm rather than too hot. Hot showers can actually increase your metabolic rate and rather than relax you, this will energize you.
So, next time you’re feeling stressed-out or run-down, head towards the shower!
Organise Your Shower Clutter!
Have you taken a look at your shower enclosure lately? Is it more ‘Clutter-full’ rather than ‘Beautiful’? (sorry)
Typical shower cubicles are only a few square feet big, so why waste what precious space you have with clutter? If you need some inspiration, head to your nearest bathroom showroom to take a look at how the professionals display and store their showering essentials.
De-clutter your shower!
Although we use them to wash everyday, shower areas often get neglected when it comes to de-cluttering.
Check all of the shampoo and shower gel bottles you have – throw away any that are empty, or make a concerted effort to use up the last of any product in the bottles. Do you have any duplicated products? Get rid of anything unused and have only the regularly used products on display. Use this opportunity to have a good clean up as well. Do you really use that old sponge? That’s right, throw it away. Now let’s evaluate what storage options you can have…
Shower Space Saving Ideas
Shower Caddies
Shower caddies are great space-saving features, and are also easy to install as well as being affordable. Shower caddies come in plenty of shapes and sizes and usually have space to store shampoo bottles, soaps, and shaving accessories. Some are designed to fit into corners of rooms to maximise space if your shower enclosure is in the corner of the room. Look for one that won’t rust and is adjustable, like this simplehuman model, which is available from Tesco.
Shower caddies that hang over the door are also exceptionally handy at creating storage whilst not taking up at lot of space. They’re also ridiculously easy to install! This is a typical stainless steel model:
Shower Niche
Requiring slightly more work, but a great idea all the same, shower niches are recessed areas in your bathroom wall which can be used to store items. Adding a niche to your bathroom would probably be part of a much bigger bathroom refurbishment and not a simple weekend job. By using decorative tiles, you can really make a niche stand out in your bathroom, or by using the same tiles you can add a more subtle effect. Here’s a mosaic tile style niche:
So this weekend, if you’re looking for something to do – clear out that shower clutter!
Fancy using your iPad in the shower?
As our lives get more and more busy, our need to multitask gets greater. Now, here at Gainsborough, when we have a shower, we like to concentrate on enjoying the shower (surprise, surprise), but there are some people who would prefer to surf the web, or maybe check their email while they shampoo and condition.
There are already studies proving that we get anxious when separated from our phones, so there are probably many of us out there who would prefer to keep hold of the phone or tablet in the shower. Now, with water and technology not really getting along, these workaholics have been previously unable to multitask with their iPhone or iPad in the shower, but in the not-so-distant future, they may indeed get their wish.
A design concept called “Le Terme” has been created by Fei Chung Billy Ho and was a finalist in the Reece Bathroom Innovation Award in Australia. Le Terme is made of stainless steel with interactive glass panels that can be synced to any smart phone or tablet, meaning you can use the phone, watch videos or surf the web at no risk to your phone or tablet. The shower also allows you to listen to music – a huge plus for anyone who likes listening to songs and singing while in the shower (and let’s face it, who doesn’t?) The base of Le Terme is made from cypress wood, which kills bacteria, fungus and viral infections, helping to maintain a hygienic environment, with no need for deep-cleaning.
We’re quite impressed by the technology, but what do you think? Would you like a shower like this in your home?
Images courtesy of
http://www.bathroominnovation.com.au/
Summertime Showering Ideas!
With summer here, at least for the moment, a lot of us are making the most of getting out and about while the sunshine lasts. Whether you choose to spend the day at the beach, give the garden an overhaul, or perhaps head out on the bike, after being inspired by Team GB, you have to agree that there’s nothing like a nice shower afterwards to refresh and revitalise.
Whereas showers have previously mostly been used at the beginning and the end of each day, increasingly, showers are being used throughout the day. So it’s becoming more and more important to make sure our showers are easy to use, convenient and energy-efficient – and all for an affordable price tag!
If your criteria are similar to this then your perfect shower could be an electric shower. Gone are the prehistoric white boxes on the wall – today’s electric showers have undergone something of a revolution, and are suited to a wide range of showering scenarios. So, if you’re on the hunt for a new electric shower this summer, we’ve come up with some Top Tips to help you out:
1.) Who will be using the shower? Is it just you, the kids, guests, or simply everyone?
Electric showers work differently to conventional mixer showers in that they place no demand on stored hot water. They simply heat water to your desired temperature as it is required. This makes them perfect for busy households where lots of people may be wanting to take a shower one after another, or in homes where an additional shower would cause too much of a strain on the existing plumbing system. Because they don’t use your stored, hot water, electric showers can be an energy-efficient, cost-effective option too.
2.) Keep it flexible!
If the new shower will be your household’s main shower, make sure that it offers as much flexibility as possible to ensure the entire family. Look for a height-adjustable, multi-mode shower head that can be easily changed to suit each user’s preference. This will keep the whole family happy.
3.) Look for safety features
Your number one priority when choosing a new shower should be safety, especially if children or vulnerable adults will be using it. Electric showers today are much more sophisticated and safety-oriented features come as standard on many models. For example, our new GSX Plus and GSX Deluxe electric showers both include a range of safety features making them superb choices for safer showering. Our phased shutdown, for example, flushes residual hot water from the shower’s heating element after it has been switched off, which makes it safe for the next user. This also reduces limescale build up. The intelligent automatic heat setting on the 2 showers ensures that users are protected from excessively high temperatures. Other safety features include a low pressure indicator, visually reassuring LED ‘power on’ lights, and handsets that emit an audible click to indicate that the spray pattern has been changed.
4.) Check the type of installation
When it comes to the type of installation, this can make a big difference to your needs. Are you buying a completely new shower, or are you replace an existing, older shower. Anyone replacing a shower, it can be fairly simple to find an electric shower that has been specially designed to be as easy as possible to retrofit. A brand new electric shower will need to be fitted by a Part P registered electrician. It’s always best to seek advice before buying a new electric shower.
5.) Make sure it’s easy to use
Look out for showers with simple, push buttons which illuminate when pressed – these are a great visual aid. After all, there’s nothing more annoying than a shower that’s tricky to use when you’ve got slippery hands. Similarly, top-of-the-range showers with LCD displays showing the water temperature, duration and setting selected are much more affordable than they used to be.
6.) For the best deals - look to the web
There has never been a wider choice of places to buy new showers from, but for the best prices, it’s usually a safe bet to head to the web first. You can benefit from fantastic deals, as well as free delivery in many cases. Buying direct from a manufacturer will give you the peace of mind of a guarantee.
We hope you’ve found our tips useful – now get out in the sunshine while it lasts!
Filed under Electric Showers, Showers
Tip of the Day: Don’t Shower With Your Medal!
This summer our eyes are all glued to our TVs as we watch our favourite sporting heroes compete for the chance to become Olympic heroes.
And of course, once that elusive medal has been won – do you really blame the athletes for not wanting to take them off, even in the shower?
One such athlete, 23 year old Brazilian Felipe Kitadai, who won bronze in the -60kg Judo category, was so excited about his victory that he didn’t want to take his medal off at all. In fact, he took a shower with the medal on and dropped it (we’re thinking – slippery hands?) and he later realised that it was broken when he was about to get into bed, you’ve guessed it, with the medal in tow. He saw there was some damage at the top when the ribbon loops through a hoop.
Officials have now agreed to replace the medal after a few hasty phone calls and apologies. Our advice to other winning athletes? Maybe take your prize off before you step into the shower…
Filed under Fun Stuff
Top Five Benefits of Combi Showers
It’s hard to imagine a daily routine that doesn’t feature a hot shower. Most houses these days have modern hot water systems allowing an instant supply of hot water. In particular, combination boilers used in conjunction with mixer showers have become increasingly popular in the UK because of the wide range of benefits they offer. These types of mixer showers are commonly referred to as combi showers. Here are our top five benefits of combi showers.
1.) Combi Boilers are Efficient
Modern combi boilers only heat water when required, and so can be considered more energy efficient than some hot water systems. Because of this, combi boilers provide an instant and constant supply of hot water which results in an enjoyable showering experience when using a combi shower. Plus, combi boilers don’t require special tanks for storing hot water which saves space in the home.
2.) Easy to Install and Maintain
Generally, combi showers are easy to install and maintain. They don’t require pumps to increase water pressure and achieve an excellent and reliable shower performance.
3.) Great Range of Features
Most modern combi showers features thermostatic temperature controls. These eliminate sudden temperature fluctuations when water is used elsewhere in the house and prevent scalding – particularly handy if there are young children or elderly relatives using the shower.
4.) Stylish Designs
Combi showers are available in a range of appealing designs. It’s possible to choose from exposed and concealed models which offer two completely different styles of design. Exposed combi showers features the valve and pipework on top of the tiles or wall, whilst concealed combi showers provide a neat and elegant finish with the value located behind the wall. Combi showers commonly are finished in stylish chrome, which should complement any bathroom.
5.) Prices to Suit All Budgets
There should be a combi shower to suit all budgets. For example, our Ambassador combi shower is available at £120.00, down from £152.00, and comes in both exposed and concealed designs. Plus, all of our showers are conveniently available to buy on our website, and all come with free next working day delivery.
Filed under Mixer Showers, Showers
