One bath per week.

[tvguy]

My mom and my kids were comparing notes about living in a group or dorm setting. My mom went away to boarding school for high school (in about 1938) and my kids were amazed that she was allowed just one bath per week, and everyone was assigned a day and time for that bath (Friday night in her case).

Of course, my mom grew up in Saskatchewan Canada, it was as the Great Depression was just starting to ease, and being winter in Canada, you didn't sweat alot.

But me, I feel gross if I don't shower once a day. Sometimes twice a day in summer when it's 110 degrees here.

 

[Goofyluver]

I don't care if I sweat or not, I have to shower every day. I can't even imagine!

 

[snarlingcoyote]

Well yeah, if you ever stumble across and read an article on the history of indoor plumbing in the US, you find out that the idea of one bath a day = good health was something that was dreamed up by bathtub makers to get people to buy bathtubs with indoor plumbing.

And if you ever read an article by or talk to an epidemiologist, you will find out that bathing at the frequency we practice it doesn't really do anything for or against our health. Now handwashing, that's important and we should do it several times a day, (It's my understanding that this is why it's good to wash your hands post bathroom. Not just for ecoli, but also because, really, everybody goes to the toilet several times a day, and the sinks are right there. . .) but frequent bathing, honstly, that's just a cultural thing.

(Of course, it's a part of the culture I like to over indulge in myself. . .once or twice a day at least!)

 

[powellrj]

My dad talks about when he was growing up, they took one bath a week. They had a washtub that they brought into the kitchen and heated up the water to take your bath. I guess if I had to work that hard to take a bath I would only take one a week too!

 

[englishteacha]

My dad washed in the sink every day, but only showered a couple times a week.

 

[nmmom95]

Wow! That's so Laura Ingalls Wilder! Daily bathing may not have any health benefits, but I love my daily, hot shower.

 

[Northstar]

That's a good example of those little things that have changed so much, but no one really bothered to document it, so we just lose sight of how everyday life is different!

I recall reading a book from around the WWII era, written in that time and set in that time, and in a letter, a character comments on how her husband's shirts get dirtier in the city... now he can only wear his shirts 3 days before washing instead of 4.

 

[mombrontrent]

My dad grew up on a farm in the 60's with no indoor plumbing. Once a week on Sunday night they would fill a big wash basin in the kitchen with boiled water and then they would all take turns bathing in the same water. Four kids and two adults all dirty from a week of farmwork, I sure would not have wanted to be the last in line for my bath

 

[manning]

Well yeah, if you ever stumble across and read an article on the history of indoor plumbing in the US, you find out that the idea of one bath a day = good health was something that was dreamed up by bathtub makers to get people to buy bathtubs with indoor plumbing.

And if you ever read an article by or talk to an epidemiologist, you will find out that bathing at the frequency we practice it doesn't really do anything for or against our health. Now handwashing, that's important and we should do it several times a day, (It's my understanding that this is why it's good to wash your hands post bathroom. Not just for ecoli, but also because, really, everybody goes to the toilet several times a day, and the sinks are right there. . .) but frequent bathing, honstly, that's just a cultural thing.

(Of course, it's a part of the culture I like to over indulge in myself. . .once or twice a day at least!)

Now, if they can get all those washroom doors to open out upon leaving. You wash your hands and then you get the clowns who don't. How to get out without touching the door handle? That's why I have my Purell.

 

[snarlingcoyote]

Now, if they can get all those washroom doors to open out upon leaving. You wash your hands and then you get the clowns who don't. How to get out without touching the door handle? That's why I have my Purell.

Nah. I think (any epidemiologists on the board can correct me if I'm wrong) that doesn't make any difference. Once you get out of the bathroom, unless you put on gloves, you're still going start picking up germs again. Which is why you should wash your hands several times a day. But I don't think the germs on a bathroom door are any worse than the germs on a keyboard or a door handle or coffee pot or an elevator button or a counter top.

 

[AlwaysMoving]

I feel there are certain parts of the body that absolutely should be touched by soap and water on a daily basis. Although my mother did not have running water as a child, they still managed to wash the important parts daily.

 

[jojo9610]

What a coincidence TVguy, my mom also grew up during that same time in Saskatchewan, Regina to be exact.

 

[It'sWDW4me]

My dad grew up on a farm in the 60's with no indoor plumbing. Once a week on Sunday night they would fill a big wash basin in the kitchen with boiled water and then they would all take turns bathing in the same water. Four kids and two adults all dirty from a week of farmwork, I sure would not have wanted to be the last in line for my bath

And from what I understand, there was a bath-takers hierarchy - dad first, then mom, then the kids.

There's an old saying that is now interpreted as "watch what you're doing/don't throw out anything important" but originated precisely from this bathtime practice - "Don't throw the baby out with the bathwater!"

 

[denisenh]

i like a daily shower as well but have had to do basin baths in the past, with water heated on an outdoor wood fire which worked out fine.
we should all try to conserve resources by making the bathing experience purposeful and to the point.
put the water on to get wet, shut the water off, scrub (in a certain order) and put the water back on to rinse.
bonus: if you pay your own utilities its a nice way to save $$.

 

[SandrA9810]

Besides habit, what exactly makes you feel icky and gross about not showering for more than a day?

There's still plenty of people today that don't shower all the time. Mostly outdoorsy/camping/hiking kind of people that don't always have water for bathing.


Only after swimming must I take a shower, and wash my hair immediatly. Other than that, I don't go running for the bathroom after getting hot or sweaty. Once I cool off, I don't feel icky any more.

 

[ilovemk76]

My mom and my kids were comparing notes about living in a group or dorm setting. My mom went away to boarding school for high school (in about 1938) and my kids were amazed that she was allowed just one bath per week, and everyone was assigned a day and time for that bath (Friday night in her case).

Of course, my mom grew up in Saskatchewan Canada, it was as the Great Depression was just starting to ease, and being winter in Canada, you didn't sweat alot.

But me, I feel gross if I don't shower once a day. Sometimes twice a day in summer when it's 110 degrees here.

I'm impressed that your grandparents could afford to send a girl away to boarding school during the depression.

 

[Aisling]

In a boarding school setting I can see not having a need to bathe everyday. Unless you're out in the heat laying bricks all day (or walking in hot Disney parks all day), washing face, hands, pits and privates would be enough for most people, I think.

 

[joyjoy]

Besides habit, what exactly makes you feel icky and gross about not showering for more than a day?

I could probably skip a day or two.... except that my hair feels so gross I can't stand it. Then if I just wash my hair, it's all wrong. I feel filthy all over.

I will say though- I lived a year in the Netherlands as an exchange student and during the wintertime especially, everyday baths are not the norm. It doesn't really take that long to get used to it, either. I think what's normal in your culture is what you get used to, whether it's once a week, a couple times a week, or scrubbing your skin within an inch of its life with boiling water like we do in N. America. And Japan.

 

[Mermaid02]

Besides habit, what exactly makes you feel icky and gross about not showering for more than a day?

There's still plenty of people today that don't shower all the time. Mostly outdoorsy/camping/hiking kind of people that don't always have water for bathing.


Only after swimming must I take a shower, and wash my hair immediatly. Other than that, I don't go running for the bathroom after getting hot or sweaty. Once I cool off, I don't feel icky any more.

Seriously? Like after a workout or something you don't shower?

Everyother day is as far as I'll go- then just if I'm camping.

 

[marcemc]

I feel there are certain parts of the body that absolutely should be touched by soap and water on a daily basis. Although my mother did not have running water as a child, they still managed to wash the important parts daily.

Amen!

My DMIL (who grew up poor and during the end of the Great Depression) says that no matter what, they would daily washed up with water and soap.