How to get your teenagers OUT of the bathroom in under five minutes!

Here is an absolutely foolproof method that will help you get your teenagers out of the bathroom in five minutes.

But first:

• Are you ready to be a really MEAN parent, and potentially save hundreds of dollars a year on water and energy bills?
  
• Are you ready to have your sanity back again?
  
• Are you ready to have your bathroom back again?
  
• And are you ready to have all this for the total cost of about $20?
  

No, I'm not selling anything. You'll just need a couple of small gadgets that you can buy anywhere. You might even have them already lying around your home.

Here's how you do it.

The Method

These tips work just as well for adults and kids who like to hog the shower. But - lets face it - teenagers are pretty common culprits.

So I've written this post for long-suffering parents who don't know what to do and are contemplating adding another bathroom to their homes, just so they can get a wash themselves more than once a month!

The Steps

STEP 1: Get yourself a five minute egg timer (something like this one) and a stick-on four minute water shower timer (like this one). Neither are expensive, and you should be able to purchase both for less than $20.

STEP 2: If there's no suitable shelf outside your bathroom, get yourself some adhensive stick-ons that attach things to walls. 3M (the company that manufactures PostIt Notes) sells removable adhesive hooks that are great for this job. You can even stick them on walls in rentals, and they'll come off just fine with no damage.

Attach the five minute egg timer to the wall outside your bathroom.

STEP 3: Stick the shower timer into your shower, using its suction cup.

STEP 4: Remove any locks from the bathroom door.

You're ready for action!

The New House Rules

Tell your teenagers that there are some New House Rules.

These are:

• Bathroom time is now limited to FIVE MINUTES.
  
  
• When they enter the bathroom, the outside five minute egg timer will be set.
  
  You may wish to do this yourself for the first few weeks / months / years / decades / centuries, depending on how easily your teenagers adapt to the New House Rules.
  
  
• When the teenager enters the bathroom, it is up to them to set the stick-on four minute shower timer. This will help them avoid Major Disaster (someone walking in on them).
  
  
• When their time is up, the outside five minute egg timer will ring.
  
  By then, they will have had one minute (the minute's difference between the shower timer and the egg timer) in which to dry and dress themselves - or at least cover themselves up.
  
  
• After the five minute egg timer has rung, the bathroom is declared Free and Empty.
  
  That means anyone can - and will - walk in. Private bathroom time is officially over, and the next person ready for the bathroom can move on in.
  
  
• You may wish to encourage the Free and Empty status by opening the bathroom door, turning the bathroom heater off, or even taking embarrassing photos for your teenager's Facebook friends to admire. It's up to you how mean you want to be!
  

I never said these changes wouldn't cause a few family upsets at first, but I can absolutely guarantee they'll be worth it, especially for your hip-pocket.

Heating water accounts for 30% of the average household energy bill.

Cutting shower time can make a huge difference not just to a family budget, but also to greenhouse gas emissions.

By encouraging our families to take short showers, we are making changes that will leave us wealthier, and keep our planet in better shape.
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