When I woke up this morning I didn't think I'd be advising anybody to pee in their showers, but here we are, America. As squicky as it may sound, peeing in the shower might actually help the environment in a big way. Now, before I get into the ~wonders~ of peeing in your birthday suit, there is one big thing should clear up: If you're worried that urine isn't sterile, you're very much correct. It isn't entirely sterile, and I feel like it is my journalistic duty to inform you of that, since a lot of outlets appear to be reporting otherwise today. That being said, unless you have an infection, your pee is nontoxic and shouldn't do any harm (although you may want to clean up your bath tub before indulging in any long soaks post-pee).
OK, now let's move onto the part where you're basically the Batman of water conservation. As Mic points out, the Environmental Protection Agency says that 1.6 gallons of water are wasted for every toilet flush. Now let's say you pee in the shower just once a day for a year, and you've saved 584 gallons of water. Even when you factor in how much water you're using in the shower, so long as you are multi-tasking during your whiz, you're saving water. And that doesn't just help the environment — it helps your checkbook, too. The average American spends $1,100 on water bills a year. Think of how much you might be able to save! (Once you factor out the cost of some extremely hardy shower shoes!)
The math also works out paper-wise, too. Earlier in the year, Bustle talked to the makers of Tushy, a new bidet from the creators of THINX, and they put our paper waste into perspective: Most people use 1.5 toilet paper rolls a week, which totals to 55 gallons of wasted water a week. Imagine how much of an impact you could make not only by cutting out your flushing, but your paper usage, too?
Still, if you're not ready to jump on board with this, I guess I can't blame you. As an incredibly pee-shy person it's a miracle when I manage to pee in the toilet, and I definitely more than one existential crisis when I couldn't pee in the ocean as a kid. Plus, a lot of us live with roommates. (If mine is reading this right now: I swear on my life I never have, nor will I ever, pee in our shower. I swear this on all of the cheese in our fridge.)
But for those who are also not willing to make the ~plunge~: consider investing in Tushy's bidet. It's easy to install, better for your body, helps the environment, and the proceeds work toward solving the global water sanitation crisis. Making a difference, one full bladder at a time!
Images: HBO; Giphy
