How can I read in the bath without getting my reading material all wet?

April 1, 2007 9:41 PM

I find it relaxing to read in the bath. But my hands usually get wet and soak whatever I'm reading. I remember seeing a demo on a science program where the host coated his hands with some substance and dipped them in a tank of water, and when he took them out, they were perfectly dry. The substance prevented the water's surface tension from breaking, keeping the hands from getting wet. Is this a common, safe, generally available substance--that I could use while reading in the bath? If not, anyone have a better idea?
posted by lsemel to Science & Nature (38 answers total)

Crisco will do exactly that, but it's just as bad for the book as water.

How about plastic gloves?
posted by Steven C. Den Beste at 8:49 PM on April 1, 2007

Response by poster: Hmm, that's annoying. I guess I'll have to stick with reading magazines whilst in the bathtub. No books.
posted by lsemel at 8:49 PM on April 1, 2007

Or read a magazine instead of a book. Since you're going to toss the magazine anyway, it doesn't matter if it gets wet.
posted by Steven C. Den Beste at 8:50 PM on April 1, 2007

...oops, race condition.
posted by Steven C. Den Beste at 8:50 PM on April 1, 2007 [1 favorite]

Response by poster: I think the substance in the science show was some kind of powder, BTW. It definitely was not anything like Crisco.
posted by lsemel at 8:50 PM on April 1, 2007

I keep a towel by the side of the tub and dry my hands frequently. Haven't lost a book yet.
posted by Opposite George at 8:57 PM on April 1, 2007

I'm not a bathtub reader, but I guess there are Bathtub Caddies out there specifically for this purpose. I guess you'd still need a towel handy for turning the pages.
posted by scarlet at 9:03 PM on April 1, 2007

Hydropel? It's possible they used an industrial-strength form of dimethicone to coat their hands? Dunno how safe that is...
posted by rlef98 at 9:03 PM on April 1, 2007

Response by poster: Another idea I had would be to get a tabletop to cover the bath, like the guy in the painting Death of Marat.
posted by lsemel at 9:05 PM on April 1, 2007

A towel.
posted by stavrosthewonderchicken at 9:08 PM on April 1, 2007

I know what you mean, but can't remember the name of it. It's a natural powder. Brown, IIRC. And again IIRC, a fungal spore or lichen or something like that.

Seems easier just to keep a hand towel on the edge of the tub.
posted by ROU_Xenophobe at 9:23 PM on April 1, 2007

I try to remember to keep a towel nearby. I also have long hair, I sometimes will just run my hands through my hair to get most of the water off. Every book I've read (unless I've borrowed it) is water logged, though, so I'm probably of no help.
posted by pazazygeek at 9:23 PM on April 1, 2007

The hydrophobic powder was probably spores of Lycopodium. Was it yellowish?
posted by janell at 9:23 PM on April 1, 2007

lsemel:
Another idea I had would be to get a tabletop to cover the bath, like the guy in the painting Death of Marat.

You mean Marat?
posted by jckll at 9:25 PM on April 1, 2007 [5 favorites]

Yeah, Mr. Wizard did this trick with lycopodium. See also Magic sand.

I think it would be a whole lot easier (and much less cleanup) to just have something covering your hands where they touch the book, like a bit of a plastic bag or something similar.
posted by Rhomboid at 9:26 PM on April 1, 2007

Oh and I don't think magic sand would actually be of any use to you because: Adding soap removes the "magic" from Magic Sand and causes it to behave like regular sand.
posted by Rhomboid at 9:28 PM on April 1, 2007

its any kind of powder.
I know it works with baby powder. dump a bunch on some water then you can reach into the water and your hand stays dry. But powdery. I dont think it would work for too long though.


I just keep an extra towel right next to the bath, so I can dry off my hands whenever they get wet.
posted by Iax at 9:30 PM on April 1, 2007

Audible.com, an .mp3 player, and a good set of speakers.
posted by paulsc at 9:33 PM on April 1, 2007

I once took two years off of work and this was actually one of the household puzzles I solved for myself. Your mileage may vary depending on your physique and tub style.

I get pretty low in the tub, my neck and head just hooked onto the back ledge of the tub. Then, I grab my reading material and put my elbows (way) up on the edge of the tub. Lift your elbows up to about chin level, basically like that. Then you can grab both sides of the book or magazine and let the weight of your body keep the angles of your arms above water level. Make somewhat of a triangle between your elbows and hands, this way when you relax a bit, your hands will fall together and the reading material will act like a keystone keeping everything stable. Make it kind of like a yoga pose, where everything just sets into place.

I've actually fallen asleep in the tub like this for 20minutes without the magazine getting wet.
posted by rhizome at 9:49 PM on April 1, 2007

I'm another towel user, although I hadn't really thought about it until this post. Mostly I just keep my hands out of the water as much as possible.
posted by ursus_comiter at 9:53 PM on April 1, 2007

What about waterproof books instead?
posted by Violet Hour at 10:19 PM on April 1, 2007

I remember seeing the article, but also don't remember what it was.

One thing occurred to me: How would you wash it off?
posted by Ookseer at 10:52 PM on April 1, 2007

If you get an ebook, put it in a plastic bag. You can see it just fine, and the page turns are switch activated.
posted by Lord_Pall at 11:20 PM on April 1, 2007

Use a towel but don't switch to magazines. Sure, you are going to throw them away but the pages are much thinner and even the humidity in the air will cause them to weaken and buckle. Soon you have a soggy mess of pages. Also, it is nearly impossible to turn magazine pages with one hand (i.e. the same one holding the magazine) whereas with a book it is easy.
posted by DU at 4:36 AM on April 2, 2007

(Take it from me, I read in the *shower*.)
posted by DU at 4:37 AM on April 2, 2007

I, uh, just read in the tub. How you're all getting your hands wet? I get in the tub, recline, hold the book out of the water and read until I feel so gross that I have to wash my hair, then I wash the rest of me. When I feel gross, I put the book atop the toilet tank, finish my bath and then dry off. I don't put my hands in the water until I'm going to use them for washing.

If I'm lucky, I remember to take the book out of the bathroom so the bad cat doesn't knock it into the toilet.
posted by bilabial at 4:50 AM on April 2, 2007 [1 favorite]

I read in the tub quite often but when I read I don't wash. I just soak in the water so my hands don't get wet. When I get around to the point of washing then I stop reading so the book never gets wet.
posted by JJ86 at 5:28 AM on April 2, 2007

Here's another vote to just keep a towel next to the tub. I just grab a hand-towel to dry off my hands before touching my book. I no longer have waterlogged books, either.
posted by tastybrains at 5:44 AM on April 2, 2007

Is there any way to de-page-crumple a waterlogged book? Should I make that a new AskMe question? Because I am terrible with this, and I have even waterlogged a couple of borrowed books.
posted by Drexen at 5:51 AM on April 2, 2007

How about using a book cover -- one of those stretchy ones? It might absorb just enough of the water on your fingertips to keep your pages dry. BTW, I once smoked a cigarette in the shower!
posted by thinkpiece at 6:00 AM on April 2, 2007

Here's a link on what to do if your book does get wet.

I'm a fan of not putting my hands in the water until I'm done reading. I also keep a towel next to the tub just in case.
posted by arcticwoman at 7:16 AM on April 2, 2007 [1 favorite]

Reading in the tub involves a cup of tea on the (covered) wastecan, a handtowel, a bath pillow, and the hot water on a steady trickle to keep the water at the optimum warmth. Should the book dip into the water, the towel can be used to dry it promptly, but this should be avoided.

Some products claim to keep hands dry.
posted by theora55 at 8:19 AM on April 2, 2007

I just use a towel. Not to snark, but I've never found it to be that much of a problem. I dropped a book once, but in years of reading in the bath I probably still have a pretty good average.
posted by different at 8:23 AM on April 2, 2007

But the steam from the bath will warp the pages anyway
posted by A189Nut at 8:32 AM on April 2, 2007

When I was younger, I would frequently read in the bath. Same kind of setup as the "yoga" style pose above, and with a hand towel nearby just in case.

This whole topic makes me want to start up again.
posted by Void_Ptr at 8:57 AM on April 2, 2007

Audiobooks?
posted by radioamy at 9:59 AM on April 2, 2007

I keep my hands out of the water 'til I'm done reading and ready to wash my hair. I have a towel next to the tub in case I need to dry my hands off before then. I try to stick to magazines or something I won't be too upset if it gets dropped or wet.

My husband like to read ebooks on his Palm in the tub. He puts the Palm in a sealed ziploc bag so it doesn't get wet from his hands or if dropped.
posted by Melinika at 10:23 AM on April 2, 2007

Gosh, am I the only one-hander tub-reader here?

I cannot answer the question about the mystery substance, but can answer How can I read in the bath without getting my reading material all wet?

I hold the book with my right hand, perform ablutions with my left, and turn the pages with my right thumb. It ain't no thing. I'm left-handed; presumably righties would switch hands for optimum performance.

As long as the book isn't too heavy (like, unabridged dictionary heavy), it poses no challenge.
posted by Elsa at 12:05 PM on April 2, 2007