Today’s newspaper had this article on the front page. Clearly, it was a slow news day. But it brought to mind the baffled expressions I’ve seen on people’s faces who don’t live here, when I mention the outdoor shower. People think it’s a joke, or they think it’s a ridiculous idea. Sometimes, they think that because so many houses here are really old, it means we still have houses that don’t have indoor plumbing! I also think some people think it’s just a glorified hose so the water will be freezing, I guess unless you have a lake house somewhere or live near the ocean, the idea of an outdoor shower seems peculiar
Based one on of my non local friend’s refusal to take a shower in my outdoor shower, I think the biggest confusion is that people think they will be exposed. Even though there’s a fence around it and you’re totally in seclusion, those who’ve never taken an outdoor shower fear they will be walked in on, seen from an upstairs window or spied on in some other way.
I can’t 100% rule out any of those possibilities.
We are near an airport, so small planes are constantly flying overhead. If a passenger can identity my naked body in the shower from that height, I don’t even care. Plus, most of my showers are at night so I can’t imagine being seen and identified from a plane.
We do have upstairs windows and though we placed the shower 20 feet away from the house (most have them right next to the house) you could spy from upstairs.
There is usually a door on an outdoor shower (we are in the process of redoing ours so the door is actually not there) but someone opening the door is always a possibility but highly unlikely in my yard.
Most people who have outdoor showers say it’s so people can rinse off after going to the beach and no sand gets brought inside. I completely agree with this and wonder why we never had one growing up. With swimming lessons for many summers, I think my mother would have loved saying “get out of the car and go right to the outdoor shower and rinse off”.
We added an outdoor shower in the early 2000s and here’s what I can tell you about why it’s the best thing we’ve ever done:
1. No steam in the bathroom to encourage mold. Probably my #1 pleasure of having an outdoor shower.
2. No soap scum to clean.
3. No long hair stuck on anything or clogging a drain- there’s no drain. The floor is trek recycled decking and below is stone so the water spreads out and absorbs into the ground.
4. Taking a shower in the sun is pretty great.
5. Taking a shower in the dark, under the stars is pretty great.
6. Taking a shower in the freezing cold but under hot water is spectacular. This is a labor of love. It’s not weather proof, so the water has to be shut off in the winter. The man runs down cellar to turn it on and off each time he takes a shower in the winter. Every. Single. Time. That’s the worst part of a winter outdoor shower. I will take one outside in the winter under two conditions: there can’t be any wind and it has to be a day I wash my hair so I can put my head under the warm water. Once fall arrives, my showers are mostly indoors again until evening temps are back to the 50s. I will occasionally take one on a calm night in the winter but not every night, like the man does.
7. Taking an outdoor shower on a hot day when the sun is out and then sitting in your towel for a minute in the patio while you dry is pretty spectacular.
8. No worries about splashing water, flinging shampoo as you’re sudsing up, etc. Imagine the joy of coming home from some kind of FILTHY job or activity and just going right to the outdoor shower to get undressed and shake the dirt out and then clean up before going inside.
9. You might have a little frog friend that lives in your shower for a little while.
10. If you need to wash something with hot water but your sinks and bathtub aren’t going to work, the outdoor shower can handle it, it’s my preferred way to wash the litter boxes. Sometimes the hose isn’t enough because you need nice, hot water and the outdoor shower has that.
There are some drawbacks:
1. They really aren’t legal. If a building inspector comes, they can tell you to remove it. I’m not sure anyone really would remove one or that a building inspector has really told anyone to remove them, but they aren’t technically allowed. And there was one instance locally of a fire that supposedly started in an outdoor shower because a mirror caught the sun and started a fire. Another reason not to have your shower right up against the house!
2. Wind is a serious issue you’d never think of in an indoor shower. Even on a warm night, wind can be a nuisance and spoil the joy. Our shower happens to be in the most wind prone part of the yard and many a time I have thought it wasn’t windy only to get out there and have freezing gusts blow over me. Wind also knocks over shampoo and soap bottles and extreme wind, which we have a lot, will scatter things all over the place.
3. Bar soap is a tasty treat for mice and they will scratch at it and eat it if not covered. We no longer use bar soap! This has been the most bizarre discovery!
4. Guests who aren’t used to outdoor showers think you’re weird.
5. Bugs. Anything that likes wet places will visit your outdoor shower, especially if it’s located in a damp area. Ours gets sun for most of the day so it remains pretty dry but there have been a few hair raising spider encounters and I refuse to take an outdoor shower at night without a light on.
That’s it. The pros far outweigh the cons and I would advocate for outdoor showers forever. We are currently doing a remodel of ours and it hasn’t been in use for a few months. I’ve gotten so used to not taking a shower inside after another person has taken a shower inside, that when I enter a steamy bathroom after the man takes a shower, I can’t stand it! Spring is here and the outdoor shower is calling. We will have it redone by summer but I definitely would use it tonight if it was up to snuff.
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