I’ve just bought a salon that has a water meter installed. Has anyone else got a meter? There are 4 girls going to be working in the salon and we are really busy. I’m worried to how much my water bills are going to be. Anyone else have the same problem?
Water meter
- Thread starter Kita
- Start date
Help Support SalonGeek:
Hi Kita
I don’t do hair I’m afraid. Your water consumption is going to be personal to your business. Even though you are busy, it’s all about how many customers get their hair washed and that depends on the service combo you are in demand for.
You should read your meter and calculate your consumption at regular intervals so that you have a feel for your bills and also get yourself educated about ways to keep water consumption down. You can start with this sustainable hair course Stylist Certificate – eco hair and beauty which I the result of research by Professor Denise Baden at Southampton University. There are lots of tips on reducing water consumption and it helps with your bills because if you reduce your water use you will reduce your energy use since most of the water you use has to be heated.
Washing and drying towels can work out surprisingly expensive so you might want to experiment with paper towels which are more sustainable (I know, it’s not what you expect). I use paper towels from Scrummi and I really like them. Maybe you can mix and match, I use fabric and paper towels.
There are also water saving spray heads - you need to think about pressure, and water usage habits - do stylists leave the spray running while they lather up shampoo and do they always shampoo twice and use rinse out conditioners because it’s rarely necessary. The course challenges you to reconsider how you’ve always worked.
Talking about ways to save water (and the energy to heat it) will help your customers. It saves time, it saves money, it saves the planet, so it’s a win win.
In business we rarely focus on shaving costs because it’s usually more profitable to focus on increasing sales. I spent quite a lot of time looking at ways to reduce my energy consumption over the past year and it’s really made a difference to my bills. I can be more relaxed now that I’ve learnt good habits and I feel happier now that my business is more sustainable
I don’t do hair I’m afraid. Your water consumption is going to be personal to your business. Even though you are busy, it’s all about how many customers get their hair washed and that depends on the service combo you are in demand for.
You should read your meter and calculate your consumption at regular intervals so that you have a feel for your bills and also get yourself educated about ways to keep water consumption down. You can start with this sustainable hair course Stylist Certificate – eco hair and beauty which I the result of research by Professor Denise Baden at Southampton University. There are lots of tips on reducing water consumption and it helps with your bills because if you reduce your water use you will reduce your energy use since most of the water you use has to be heated.
Washing and drying towels can work out surprisingly expensive so you might want to experiment with paper towels which are more sustainable (I know, it’s not what you expect). I use paper towels from Scrummi and I really like them. Maybe you can mix and match, I use fabric and paper towels.
There are also water saving spray heads - you need to think about pressure, and water usage habits - do stylists leave the spray running while they lather up shampoo and do they always shampoo twice and use rinse out conditioners because it’s rarely necessary. The course challenges you to reconsider how you’ve always worked.
Talking about ways to save water (and the energy to heat it) will help your customers. It saves time, it saves money, it saves the planet, so it’s a win win.
In business we rarely focus on shaving costs because it’s usually more profitable to focus on increasing sales. I spent quite a lot of time looking at ways to reduce my energy consumption over the past year and it’s really made a difference to my bills. I can be more relaxed now that I’ve learnt good habits and I feel happier now that my business is more sustainable
Hey,
I will have to disagree with the TheDuchess on some points.
You need to wash clients' hair twice majority of time because lots of the time there is a build up of styling products, or from the low quality haircare that lots of ppl using like tresemme. Use condi or masque is a basic if the hair is short short type 1 or 2 you can skip that part because of the natural sebum production and spread, but normally you are not skipping condi or masque.
The Ecoheads are great, but it is more about how to make the water softer and get better water pressure. The cost for one is around £130. It can fasten the colour rinsing process so it will save more water too. But if you have for example 6 water basins, it can be costly at the beginning
Paper towels are not that eco especially not in the UK where the most common disposal method is landfill. Plus it is not more economical either because the most know brand right now is Scrummi Waffle and it is around £14 for 50 towels you will be able to wash way more for that money)) (around 10x fully loaded 9kg washing machine). I tried paper towels and it was more expensive.
"Paper hand towels and tissues are a good example of contamination. Although they're made out of paper fibres they cannot be recycled. "
My water bill in salon of 5 ppl is £500 a year, but I am getting random prices so I will not be helpful here because what I gathered it depends on location.
Find a good quality of fabric towels. Get a decent washing machine (trust me on that I put Miele in salon and it is amazing how much it can save).
Find how much is a consumption of water per 1 fully washed client (2 shampooing, 1 rinse of condi or masque) and just put it in the price.
If you are really busy as you said and you will put the water cost in the price you will be fine
I will have to disagree with the TheDuchess on some points.
You need to wash clients' hair twice majority of time because lots of the time there is a build up of styling products, or from the low quality haircare that lots of ppl using like tresemme. Use condi or masque is a basic if the hair is short short type 1 or 2 you can skip that part because of the natural sebum production and spread, but normally you are not skipping condi or masque.
The Ecoheads are great, but it is more about how to make the water softer and get better water pressure. The cost for one is around £130. It can fasten the colour rinsing process so it will save more water too. But if you have for example 6 water basins, it can be costly at the beginning
Paper towels are not that eco especially not in the UK where the most common disposal method is landfill. Plus it is not more economical either because the most know brand right now is Scrummi Waffle and it is around £14 for 50 towels you will be able to wash way more for that money
)) (around 10x fully loaded 9kg washing machine). I tried paper towels and it was more expensive."Paper hand towels and tissues are a good example of contamination. Although they're made out of paper fibres they cannot be recycled. "
My water bill in salon of 5 ppl is £500 a year, but I am getting random prices so I will not be helpful here because what I gathered it depends on location.
Find a good quality of fabric towels. Get a decent washing machine (trust me on that I put Miele in salon and it is amazing how much it can save).
Find how much is a consumption of water per 1 fully washed client (2 shampooing, 1 rinse of condi or masque) and just put it in the price.
If you are really busy as you said and you will put the water cost in the price you will be fine
Hi Eldari
Always happy to have a debate! I am quoting academic research which claims that double shampooing is not necessary. They also recommended leave in conditioner instead of rinse off conditioner. I’ve been to a conference where the best water saving methods were discussed in depth and this training was introduced nationally in colleges some years ago.
The same academic research into paper towels versus washable towels states that this is a more environmentally friendly option. I felt doubtful also but I’m not going to argue with academic research because they will have had to prove their findings and not just rely on opinion. Scientific facts are not the same thing as preferences or biased marketing. We are entitled to our opinions about what suits us best, and we should adopt a healthy cynicism when a company makes claims about their products that haven’t been independently verified,. We should not argue with science, scientific findings are published and peer reviewed, that means that other scientists check the figures and if they disagree they say so and the research is updated.
Reducing water consumption is very important as part of adapting to climate change and transitioning towards carbon net zero. None of us can carry on as we used to, we all have to adapt especially as water and power is only going to get more expensive.
Scrummi towels are compostable. I use a lot of mine twice because I use them for cleaning. I put mine in the paper recycling which is much cheaper than non recycling as long as they aren’t dirty. My non recycling is burnt to make electricity - there’s a plant nearby so it’s a short journey, Nothing goes to landfill. I’m fortunate that this is an option for me because of where I am based.
Whether it’s cheaper in money to wash towels or use disposables depends on your particular circumstances. If you are spending time doing laundry when you could be earning then it covid be quite an expensive wash. The same applies if you are paying staff to wash laundry. You also need to allow for wear and tear on your washing machine and tumble dryer and your electricity and detergent as well as your water bill.
Before i introduced scrummi I was always doing laundry. I bought BC Softwear towels that are easy drying and weighed my loads to make sure I was always doing a full wash. It worked out over £3 a load once I’d priced in my washing machine (which isn’t a Miele - green with envy). It’s always worth buying the best quality machine you can afford, I just couldn’t stretch to the top of the range so I only get around 4-5 years out of a washing machine, 6 for a tumble dryer. My electricity has tripled in price so it will cost me a lot more than £3 now.
I don’t use scrummi exclusively, I still use washable linens, but I do find scrummi has improved my profitability and made my life easier, It’s worth conducting your own trials and see what works best for your business and then review your practises every couple of years. I find that I’m open now to things that I wouldn’t have considered a few years ago. Times change.
Always happy to have a debate! I am quoting academic research which claims that double shampooing is not necessary. They also recommended leave in conditioner instead of rinse off conditioner. I’ve been to a conference where the best water saving methods were discussed in depth and this training was introduced nationally in colleges some years ago.
The same academic research into paper towels versus washable towels states that this is a more environmentally friendly option. I felt doubtful also but I’m not going to argue with academic research because they will have had to prove their findings and not just rely on opinion. Scientific facts are not the same thing as preferences or biased marketing. We are entitled to our opinions about what suits us best, and we should adopt a healthy cynicism when a company makes claims about their products that haven’t been independently verified,. We should not argue with science, scientific findings are published and peer reviewed, that means that other scientists check the figures and if they disagree they say so and the research is updated.
Reducing water consumption is very important as part of adapting to climate change and transitioning towards carbon net zero. None of us can carry on as we used to, we all have to adapt especially as water and power is only going to get more expensive.
Scrummi towels are compostable. I use a lot of mine twice because I use them for cleaning. I put mine in the paper recycling which is much cheaper than non recycling as long as they aren’t dirty. My non recycling is burnt to make electricity - there’s a plant nearby so it’s a short journey, Nothing goes to landfill. I’m fortunate that this is an option for me because of where I am based.
Whether it’s cheaper in money to wash towels or use disposables depends on your particular circumstances. If you are spending time doing laundry when you could be earning then it covid be quite an expensive wash. The same applies if you are paying staff to wash laundry. You also need to allow for wear and tear on your washing machine and tumble dryer and your electricity and detergent as well as your water bill.
Before i introduced scrummi I was always doing laundry. I bought BC Softwear towels that are easy drying and weighed my loads to make sure I was always doing a full wash. It worked out over £3 a load once I’d priced in my washing machine (which isn’t a Miele - green with envy). It’s always worth buying the best quality machine you can afford, I just couldn’t stretch to the top of the range so I only get around 4-5 years out of a washing machine, 6 for a tumble dryer. My electricity has tripled in price so it will cost me a lot more than £3 now.
I don’t use scrummi exclusively, I still use washable linens, but I do find scrummi has improved my profitability and made my life easier, It’s worth conducting your own trials and see what works best for your business and then review your practises every couple of years. I find that I’m open now to things that I wouldn’t have considered a few years ago. Times change.
forever21
Active Member
Hey,
I will have to disagree with the TheDuchess on some points.
You need to wash clients' hair twice majority of time because lots of the time there is a build up of styling products, or from the low quality haircare that lots of ppl using like tresemme. Use condi or masque is a basic if the hair is short short type 1 or 2 you can skip that part because of the natural sebum production and spread, but normally you are not skipping condi or masque.
The Ecoheads are great, but it is more about how to make the water softer and get better water pressure. The cost for one is around £130. It can fasten the colour rinsing process so it will save more water too. But if you have for example 6 water basins, it can be costly at the beginning
Paper towels are not that eco especially not in the UK where the most common disposal method is landfill. Plus it is not more economical either because the most know brand right now is Scrummi Waffle and it is around £14 for 50 towels you will be able to wash way more for that money
"Paper hand towels and tissues are a good example of contamination. Although they're made out of paper fibres they cannot be recycled. "
My water bill in salon of 5 ppl is £500 a year, but I am getting random prices so I will not be helpful here because what I gathered it depends on location.
Find a good quality of fabric towels. Get a decent washing machine (trust me on that I put Miele in salon and it is amazing how much it can save).
Find how much is a consumption of water per 1 fully washed client (2 shampooing, 1 rinse of condi or masque) and just put it in the price.
If you are really busy as you said and you will put the water cost in the price you will be fine
Hey,
I will have to disagree with the TheDuchess on some points.
You need to wash clients' hair twice majority of time because lots of the time there is a build up of styling products, or from the low quality haircare that lots of ppl using like tresemme. Use condi or masque is a basic if the hair is short short type 1 or 2 you can skip that part because of the natural sebum production and spread, but normally you are not skipping condi or masque.
The Ecoheads are great, but it is more about how to make the water softer and get better water pressure. The cost for one is around £130. It can fasten the colour rinsing process so it will save more water too. But if you have for example 6 water basins, it can be costly at the beginning
Paper towels are not that eco especially not in the UK where the most common disposal method is landfill. Plus it is not more economical either because the most know brand right now is Scrummi Waffle and it is around £14 for 50 towels you will be able to wash way more for that money
"Paper hand towels and tissues are a good example of contamination. Although they're made out of paper fibres they cannot be recycled. "
My water bill in salon of 5 ppl is £500 a year, but I am getting random prices so I will not be helpful here because what I gathered it depends on location.
Find a good quality of fabric towels. Get a decent washing machine (trust me on that I put Miele in salon and it is amazing how much it can save).
Find how much is a consumption of water per 1 fully washed client (2 shampooing, 1 rinse of condi or masque) and just put it in the price.
If you are really busy as you said and you will put the water cost in the price you will be fine
Hey,
I will have to disagree with the TheDuchess on some points.
You need to wash clients' hair twice majority of time because lots of the time there is a build up of styling products, or from the low quality haircare that lots of ppl using like tresemme. Use condi or masque is a basic if the hair is short short type 1 or 2 you can skip that part because of the natural sebum production and spread, but normally you are not skipping condi or masque.
The Ecoheads are great, but it is more about how to make the water softer and get better water pressure. The cost for one is around £130. It can fasten the colour rinsing process so it will save more water too. But if you have for example 6 water basins, it can be costly at the beginning
Paper towels are not that eco especially not in the UK where the most common disposal method is landfill. Plus it is not more economical either because the most know brand right now is Scrummi Waffle and it is around £14 for 50 towels you will be able to wash way more for that money
"Paper hand towels and tissues are a good example of contamination. Although they're made out of paper fibres they cannot be recycled. "
My water bill in salon of 5 ppl is £500 a year, but I am getting random prices so I will not be helpful here because what I gathered it depends on location.
Find a good quality of fabric towels. Get a decent washing machine (trust me on that I put Miele in salon and it is amazing how much it can save).
Find how much is a consumption of water per 1 fully washed client (2 shampooing, 1 rinse of condi or masque) and just put it in the price.
If you are really busy as you said and you will put the water cost in the price you will be fine
