Aug 26 2008 1:03PM | Permalink | Email this | Comments (0) |
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Well, I think I've discovered the reason for the economic downturn: Americans are spending too much freakin' time in the bathroom.

American Standard just released the results of its 2008 Bathroom Habits Survey and it certainly reinforces the idea of the bathroom as a "retreat." In other words, a great target for remodeling. (I've got to be honest with you ... I have never gotten this. I guess I'm just a "take care of business and get out" kind of guy.)

The study was based on interviews of 1,001 homeowners in Atlanta, Boston, Miami, Minneapolis and Seattle.

So here are some key findings from the study:

• One in four people spends more than an hour a day in the bathroom (37 percent of women and 15 percent of men). The average is 30 minutes.
• What are they doing while they're in there? 88 percent use at least one electronic device, 43 percent get dressed, 20 percent sing, 19 percent listen to music, 15 percent talk on the phone and 3 percent watch television.
• 91 percent of respondents say they are trying to conserve water. Miami and Atlanta residents are most concerned about saving water. 
• Atlanta has the ... uhh ... slowest users, with 62 percent spending more than 30 minutes and 28 percent spending more than an hour a day in the loo.
• Minneapolis is the most efficient, with 49 percent saying they spend less than half an hour in the bathroom.

You can read the full release on the study here.