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Do you use cold or warm water at the sink?

  • Cold water only

    Votes: 10 29.4%
  • Turn on both cold and hot water

    Votes: 14 41.2%
  • My faucet doesn't have separate knobs for hot and cold

    Votes: 7 20.6%
  • Cold only, but I live in a place that doesn't have freezing weather

    Votes: 3 8.8%

  • Total voters
    34

Chaszmyr

macrumors 601
Original poster
Aug 9, 2002
4,267
86
When you wash your hands and/or brush your teeth, do you turn on just the cold water, or both the cold and hot water to make it warmer?
 

OutThere

macrumors 603
Dec 19, 2002
5,730
3
NYC
Our tap water is too cold for comfortable hand washing so I add a little warm to the mix...but I don't like the taste of the hot water so I go totally ice cold for teeth brushing/rinsing/whatever else.
 

sammich

macrumors 601
Sep 26, 2006
4,305
268
Sarcasmville.
Cold water first. Since it takes time for the hot water to come through the pipes, it starts off as cold water when I brush my teeth, and by the time the hot water gets out, I can use it for washing my face etc. Uni-faucet.
 

richard.mac

macrumors 603
Feb 2, 2007
6,292
4
51.50024, -0.12662
our tap water is almost too warm atm! so nothing can be done with it. but i drink cold fridge water anyway. in the winter it gets mighty cold but i find it refreshing. if im washing my hands ill add a little warm to the mix but it takes ages to warm up!
 

0098386

Suspended
Jan 18, 2005
21,574
2,908
Depends if the boiler is on. Since I go to bed hours after the boilers been turned off I won't get any hot water. Warm, sure! Can't brush my teeth with cold water after all. At least during winter.

Day=cold
Night=warm
 

comictimes

macrumors 6502a
Jun 20, 2004
874
1
Berkeley, California
option not given: hot water only. The water at my place takes long enough to warm up that by the time I'm done washing my hands it's pleasantly warm but not hot yet.

For brushing teeth and such though I just use cold. No point wasting hot water for that.
 

rdowns

macrumors Penryn
Jul 11, 2003
27,397
12,521
Sorry, I was looking for the , Do you pee in the sink thread? My apologies.
 

Big-TDI-Guy

macrumors 68030
Jan 11, 2007
2,606
13
On this issue, unless there is a lot of grease / oil on my hands (working on the auto, ect...) I just go cold. Wasting X gallons of water waiting for the pipes to warm up seems like... Well, a waste. Not to mention how much hot water has to be re-heated again in the heater to replace what you just used. I've even wrapped my pipes - and obviously it does not help any bit with keeping them warm over night. I have noticed it does help when using low volumes of hot water - it stays hot. (before it would start to cool, even if running)

Dishes - hot, laundry - hot (or else the damn (@*$ing HE machine does NOTHING) - showers warm.

I've been toying with the idea of putting a small pipe heater tied into the light switch of the bathroom and a timer. So when I go to the bathroom, it starts heating the pipe up - just enough for a hand washing after my duties.
 

Shaun.P

macrumors 68000
Jul 14, 2003
1,601
24
Omicron Persei 8
There should be no need for water when brushing your teeth!

I've heard that you should just apply toothpaste to the brush, brush then spit. If you wet your brush, or rinse your mouth with water you are diluting the fluoride content in the toothpaste and hence it is not as effective.

I've also heard that you should use mouthwash before you brush your teeth rather than after. Mouthwash usually has fluoride in the region of 250ppm, whereas toothpaste is usually 1000+ ppm. If you rinse with mouthwash you will not have as high a concentration of fluoride in your mouth.

This is all from a dentist :p.

Well, I suppose you need water to rinse your toothbrush after you've used it!
 

Shaun.P

macrumors 68000
Jul 14, 2003
1,601
24
Omicron Persei 8
And your mouth after you're done, surely?

No, you're meant to just spit. If you rinse your mouth, your washing away the toothpaste that would normally be left in your mouth. If you spit, that toothpaste remains and helps your teeth.

I used to always rinse, but since finding this out, I've stopped. It takes a while to get used to it, but it's second nature now.
 

Chaszmyr

macrumors 601
Original poster
Aug 9, 2002
4,267
86
I don't think the OP is a shaver, or at least not yet.

As per my profile, I'm 24... How many 24 year olds are "not yet shavers?" :confused:


Moreover, what does my shaving or not have to do with anything? I can't imagine why you thought it was worth it for you to post anything at all.
 

marbles

macrumors 68000
Apr 30, 2008
1,776
1
EU mostly
wash skin with hot water , no soap . teeth with cold water & small organic amount of type toothpaste because surely germs breed in warmer water made for the hot tap & I don't put chemicals in me .( I've not read the entire thread)
 
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