The Great Debate: Baths vs Showers

When you were younger, getting clean meant taking a bath and washing behind the ears, but if you’re older, your days are about quickness and efficiency. Now, you think about which one can get you cleaner and help you save water. Let’s take a look at the dilemma of baths vs showers.

Baths are useful in that many different sizes can fit a variety of bathrooms. At the end of a long day, you can sit back and relax your sore muscles in a warm bath. Some even include special features like jets. Plus, they are great for bathing your children.

However, regardless of the shape, a bathtub will take up more space. Tubs require a lot of water to fill up, and your water heater will need to work that much harder. It can be time-consuming to fill the tub and bathe, and tubs can be difficult for older people to get in or out.

The immediate benefit of a shower is how quick they can be, therefore using much less water. Showers can be easier to access and can have grab bars and non-slip surfaces. High-end features can include rain showers or other shower heads.

Shower doors can be challenging to clean and require regular maintenance to keep from staining. Bathing your children can be tedious and impractical in a shower, and leaks can be annoying to fix.

What it boils down to is personal preference as to whether you would instead take a bath or a shower. But there is an area that you will notice a big difference: your water bill. The Environmental Protection Agency reports that the average family spends more than $1,000 per year in water costs, but installing a water-efficient showerhead can help lower those numbers.

That does not mean you should get rid of your bathtub entirely. According to the data, at least one bathtub in your home increases the value of your home.

To learn more about the benefits and differences of having a bath and shower, call the professionals at Sunrise Heating and Plumbing at (616) 293-9326. Sunrise is your local, licensed and insured master plumber. We pride ourselves in providing nothing but exceptional customer service, and our highly-trained and experienced staff can handle any problem.