Have you found yourself needing to tough it out without hot water in your home? If you have called an unresponsive or slow plumber, it might take some time for you to get a broken water heater fixed. We know it’s no fun to try to have a shower or do your household chores without it. But you can make it work for a bit. Here are some tips to help you survive without a water heater.
Showers
On your way out the door? How do you get that clean feeling without a water heater? You can always try to take a cold shower, but you may find that this is deeply uncomfortable depending on the temperature outside. There are a few strategies you can use to make it more comfortable:
- Use your kettle to heat up a bucket’s worth of water. Boil the water and mix it with cold water to get it to the right temperature. Then dip in a cloth or sponge and use that to wash yourself. You may want to prepare a second bucket to rinse with, as the first will get dirty and soapy.
- Simply use a cloth and cold water to gently rinse your skin instead of standing in the flow of cold water.
- You can wash your hair in the sink to avoid standing in cold water.
- Buy leave-in shampoo to help restore your hair without getting it soaking wet in cold water.
- If you need to step in the shower, turn up the pressure so you can rinse faster.
If you do end up using a bucket, be sure that it is not one you’ve put cleaning chemicals in. Rinse it thoroughly in order to remove dust, even if you don’t use it for chemicals.
Cleaning Surfaces
You can clean many surfaces with cold water. But, if you previously used warm water to help with sanitizing frequently-touched surfaces, you may have to swap up your routine a bit. For example, you can use your kettle to boil some water and then mix it with cold water to get it at a useable temperature to dip in your cloth.
Doing Laundry
Laundry without hot water can be an immense pain. Some washing machines can run on cold water. However, if you have some things that absolutely need to be washed in hot water, you may need to do it by hand. Buy a hand clothes washer (they look like plungers) or a washboard to use in conjunction with a very large bucket or your bathtub.
- Do smaller loads more often to save your energy.
- Focus on visible stains and areas of clothes that collect smell (like armpits.)
- Use bar soap instead of liquid detergent. It is easier to handle.
What If You Don’t Have a Kettle?
Many of our solutions rely on you having a kettle to boil up some water. If you don’t, you can use a cooking pan to do the same. It’s harder to maneuver, but it will get the job done.
If you find yourself waiting too long for your water heater to be fixed, you can always call a different plumber too. We pride ourselves on fast and reliable water heater repairs, so if you’re within our service area, give us a call today.
