Germans save on water: the washcloth works – economy

Cock and enjoy. Many people relax in the shower after a hard day at work. And sing a song along the way. But for more and more Germans, it’s already over after the refrain. To save money, they take shorter showers. This is the result of the data from the market researchers at GfK.

In a recent study, they determined in 15 European countries whether and how people are reducing their spending. 93 percent of Europeans have changed their shopping behavior in order to go easy on the household budget. In Germany it is 89 percent. What is striking, however, is how different countries save.

While the Austrians are now more likely to pick up the wooden spoon themselves and avoid going to the restaurant, the top saving measure for the Germans is to switch to their own brands in the supermarket. Every second person uses the cheap shampoo more often, which retailers have mostly banished to the bottom shelf. In addition, it is being used less and less, because 47 percent of Germans state that they shower or bathe for less or less than before the rise in energy costs.

Tips from the top

That should please many politicians, because they haven’t exactly been economical with energy-saving tips in the past few months. In the summer of 2022, Economics Minister Robert Habeck (Greens) called for old shower heads to be replaced with water-saving models. With statements like “We can get one over on Putin” the minister motivated fans of the rain forest shower. The Prime Minister of Baden-Württemberg, Winfried Kretschmann (also from the Greens), went one step further, recommending the washcloth as a “useful invention” in an interview. GfK has not yet ascertained how many households the washcloth has actually experienced a renaissance in.

Saving foxes should certainly not exaggerate this method for the sake of their fellow human beings, but in moderation the trend towards saving could even be health-promoting. Dermatologists regularly refer to the protective acid mantle of the skin, which is destroyed by frequent showering and soaping. But Germans don’t just want to save on their showers, almost half say they want to buy fewer alcoholic beverages, sweets and meat products to save on their wallets. These measures also promote good health.

According to GfK, people in neighboring European countries have also developed creative ideas to combat rising prices. The Swedes, for example, rely on discount campaigns. In other countries, people use their household appliances less often to save electricity. What may still be easy to cope with with a toaster, hair dryer and heating pad, the Italians take it to the next level. 15 percent of them have used their washing machine less frequently in the past few months. This is the best in Europe. It is not known whether they always fill the washing machine to the hilt or simply wear their clothes longer. The latter, however, should not be taken as a role model by the unshowered Germans.

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