How Long Should You Wait to Shower After Painting a Bathroom?

Just painted your bathroom and itching for a shower? Find out the optimal wait time before you can enjoy a steamy rinse without jeopardizing your fresh paint job. Dive in as we unravel the specifics!

You cannot take a shower immediately after painting a bathroom as the bathroom walls need time to dry properly. The average time to wait to take a shower after painting the bathroom is two to three days.

But there are some ways you can speed up the paint drying time. Even if you use every drying method below to speed up the drying process, don’t expect to use your bathroom on the same day it was painted.

How Long Should I Wait to Shower After Painting a Bathroom?

I bet it has been a while since you last painted your bathroom. The average time that a homeowner or landlord waits to paint a bathroom is between 7 and 10 years.

Other than showering, bathing, and using the toilet, people don’t really spend much time in the restroom.

But now, your bathroom’s time has come and you have repainted it to look beautiful.

But what if you need to shower? Can you use your shower today?

No, you will have to wait anywhere between two to three days for the paint in the bathroom to fully dry.

What Types of Interior Room Paint Dry the Fastest?

If waiting 2 to 3 days is not viable for your schedule, know that the type of paint can speed up the drying time.

Using patented Fast Drying Paint can shave days off of the drying time.

There are several types of fast drying paint available now in many home improvement and hardware stores.

Oil based paint dries slower than water-based paint. Primer paint mixes will dry slower than if the paint & primer are separate.

Ways to Dry Painted Bathroom Walls Faster

The drying time of paint depends on the thickness of the paint, the temperature in the room, the moisture or humidity of the air, and the type of paint used.

There are a few ways to make the paint in the bathroom dry faster.

• Lower the humidity in the bathroom with a dehumidifier. The humidity inside a room will keep the paint wet longer. So, if you own a dehumidifier, place it in the middle of the bathroom and let it run for a few hours.
  
• If the weather outside is hot but not humid, keep the window open. Living in an area with a lot of dry heat can be beneficial for people who are painting the interior rooms of their homes.
  
  Just leave the windows and doors open and allow the heat to make its way inside the bathroom. The paint in the bathroom or driving faster if the window allows sunlight to touch the walls of the bathroom.
  
  You can also place an oscillating fan in the middle of the room to distribute the heat evenly.
  
• If painting in two layers, allow the first layer to dry before applying a second layer of paint.
  
• Close the windows and doors if the weather outside is humid. While your bathroom walls are drying, do not let any humidity from the outside into the room.
  
  Close all the windows and the door that leads into the hallway or other rooms. If there’s a lot of cold air coming through the cracks around the window, place a towel over the window.
  
• Adjust the settings on your blow dryer to cold and blow the walls. If you don’t have a fan and the weather is quite cold and humid outside, you can use a blow dryer to blow on the walls to make the paint dry faster. Perhaps you can take turns with another person who lives with you also.
  
  Place the temperature settings on a blow-dryer to room temperature or to slightly cold and blow dry the walls in slow, even strokes.

I Need a Shower! Where Should I Go?

Two to three days is a long time to wait to take a shower.

Some people may not need to shower often because they don’t do activities that cause them to sweat, or their body odor is not strong.

But others need to shower every day! We work outside, we sweat more than others, or we cannot skip leg day at the gym. So, what do we do?

Here are a few ways to take a shower without using your shower:

• Are you friends with your neighbor? Explain your situation and ask them to use their shower. Even some acquaintances will let you use their shower in this situation.
  
  Just be polite, don’t leave a mess, and use your bathing products only.
  

• Time to hit the gym! Showering at the gym is a great substitute for sharing in your own home. You may even want to work out for a bit before heading to the locker room.
  
  Since the showers in the gym are communal, wear sandals while showering. Don’t forget to bring the lock so you can put all your stuff in the locker.

• Don’t want to leave your house? Do a quick rinse in the kitchen sink with some towels. It’s not perfect, but it’s better than not being able to get clean at all.

• Do you normally take cold showers? Then use the garden hose! Grab all of your toiletries as well as a washcloth and towel and head to the backyard.
  
  Place the hose somewhere high so the water can rain down on you like a shower head. Just be sure that there is no one around who can see into your backyard.

Summing Up When You Can Shower After Painting

Waiting for the paint in your bathroom to dry completely usually takes about 2 to 3 days. The weather, temperature, humidity in the room, and the thickness of the paint all influence drying time.

There are ways to speed up the drying process, including removing the humidity in the bathroom with a dehumidifier or placing a fan in the middle of the room to oscillate cold air.

If you need to shower, head to the gym, ask to use the neighbor’s shower or find a sink or a hose.