5 Minutes Shower Challenge - Can You Do It?
Save water, time and money with one easy hack

We all know about the importance of saving water, but really, how many of us actually heed the call?
PUB, Singapore's National Water Agency recently revealed that while people are generally aware that water is a scarce resource, the sense of importance attached to water sustainability appeared to be less apparent, especially among younger Singaporeans. Even for those who express willingness to conserve water, they lack the means to manage water consumption effectively.
Well, here's a quick tip! Do you know by cutting your shower time by 1 minute, you can save 9 litres of water? In fact, PUB encourages us to keep showers to under 5 minutes and turn off the tap while soaping.
But wait – Five minutes sound like a very short time. In comparison, Beyonce’s “Irreplaceable’ runs for about three and half minutes. Five minutes is about one and a half “Irreplaceable-s”?
Do you know what else is irreplaceable? Clean water. We need to rise up to the challenge!
The INSIDE team surveyed and challenged a handful of friends and family to take a shower in five minutes. Below is a slightly dramatised account of their experiences. Names have been changed to protect their identities.
Yong Wei, 33, Finance
Morning
5 minutes seems like a lot of time. I decided to test myself and not do anything different and check how
Oh. This is not good. Need to do better.
Time: 7 minutes 43 seconds
Evening
The disaster in the morning cannot repeat itself. I clearly
Time: 6 minutes 05 seconds
Siti, 33, Education
Morning
Before embarking on the challenge, I did some research last night. I read that if you lower the temperature of the water, you'll spend less time in the shower. Makes sense to me. The slightly colder water might even help to wake me up in the morning. It has also been rather hot lately.
I made it out in time. Shall reward
Time: 5 minutes 28 seconds
Evening
Over lunch, I told my colleagues how I have managed to shower in about 5 minutes. They seem rather impressed. Also told them about how 40% of the global population is affected by water scarcity. It’s not just a #FirstWorldProblem. It’s a real issue. Hopefully, they will share this piece of knowledge with their other students.
The cold(er) shower strategy works. Feeling very pleased.
Time: 5 minutes 15 seconds
Samantha, 32, Stay-at-home mom, ex-triathlete
Morning
I run into the shower while the daughter is quiet and pray that there will be no crying in the next 5 minutes. Turn on the shower, apply shampoo and soap at the same time.
Spoke too soon. I hear loud bangs on the toilet door followed by high-pitched wails. Quickly tried to wash off everything. Grabs towel and wraps self. Gently opens the door and start to placate the baby. Turns on Peppa the Pig for instant relief. Quickly dries self and scramble to get changed before the drama starts all over again.
Time: 5 minutes 30 seconds
Evening
The real test begins. The husband is home. I found my old activity tracker and headed to the shower. 45 seconds to wet hair and body. Lathered up and scrubbed away for 150 seconds. Wash everything off in 60 seconds. A new P.B. (Personal best).
Time: 4 minutes 43 seconds


Photo by @petitesecondes
Danny, 30, Accounting
Morning
This challenge will be a piece of cake. I have a meeting at work this morning, so i will need to leave my house earlier than usual. Hitting the 5-minute shower mark would be perfect. Gonna get my bodywash and my shampoo on!
Argh! Soaps suds in my left eye. Damn you shampoo! There is something about fumbling around in the shower naked and trying to turn off the water that makes masculine men vulnerable. Had to spend extra time to wash the soap off my eyes. Still made it to the meeting in time though. Small victories!
Time: 7 minutes 13 seconds
Evening
Off to the gym. I shower pretty quickly at the gym. But wait. Since I’ve already paid for my gym membership, shouldn't I be allowed to take a longer shower? What would Water Wally do?
What should I have for dinner? I’m hungry. Hmm, I wonder if hunger plays a role in making one shower faster.
Time: 5 minutes 45 seconds

Victor, 29, Human Resources
Morning
My alarm did not work. Technology
The girl next to me on the train is staring at me weirdly. Took a discreet whiff. I don’t smell funny.
Time: Around 4 minutes (I think)
Evening
Dinner with the wife. She laughs at my challenge and is mildly amused. Staring at her long hair and feeling rather confident of my track record, I issued the very same challenge to her for a friendly competition.
Decided to make showering time more fun. To jazz things up, I played Queen’s Bohemian Rhapsody while showering. Showered and emerged out of the shower like a champion. Feeling super pleased with myself.
Update: Feeling less pleased now. The wife managed to shower in 5 minutes 11 seconds. She very coolly said that women are just better multitaskers than men. Is she Wonder Woman? Who is she? Did she fake her results? She drives me crazy in so many possible ways.
Time: 5 minutes 23 seconds
The CapitaLand Earth Hour 2019 Quiz! - Take part and win up to 900 STAR$®!
Calling all CapitaStar members! From now till 31 March 2019, learn how you can do your part for the environment. Take part in all three quizzes and stand a chance to win up to 900 STAR$®. There is a new quiz every Friday (15, 22 and 29 March 2019) so don't miss out!
Limited redemptions available so fastest fingers first! Good Luck!
This week, we're focusing on saving water! Find the correct answer in the article and generate the reward code for 300 STAR$®!
[THIS WEEK'S QUIZ HAS BEEN FULLY REDEEMED!]
Question: By cutting your showering time by 1 minute, how many litres of water will you save?
Answer: SAVEH2O<YOUR ANSWER>
For example, if your answer is 3, key in the reward code 'SAVEH2O3' in the
P.S. - If you're not sure how to use your reward code, see our handy guide below!
