Gransnet forums

Chat

Having a shower

(180 Posts)
Luckygirl Wed 20-Feb-19 09:50:44

Am I the only person who hates showering?

I am very short-sighted and with glasses off and hearing aids out I feel quite disoriented. I lose the soap/ struggle to wash my feet at all/have yards of hair that needs drying........

And in strange showers on holiday it is even worse.

Cannot get in and out of bath - painful hip replacement.

I just grit my teeth and get on with it.

Fennel Wed 20-Feb-19 10:01:33

Luckygirl I'm the same. Feeling very virtuous because I managed to have a shower this morning. Like you, I'm not safe getting in and out of a bath, though I miss the relaxation.
As for feet, I wash them separately , sitting down with a bowl of warm water on a towel on the floor. and foot powder to put on when dry.
I don't seem to sweat much these days.
ps but I wash my "pennies and tuppences" every day grin.

harrigran Wed 20-Feb-19 10:05:34

I feel your pain Luckygirl, it is not so bad at home because I have an enormous walk in shower but away from home is a nightmare. Tiny cubicles where you bang your elbows and cant bend over to retrieve soap, but worst ever is the cold wet shower curtain that grabs you as you try to exit.
I often wash hair at the basin because it is just so much easier.

Luckygirl Wed 20-Feb-19 10:06:30

"Pennies and tuppencies" - love that!

My grandma used to ask me if I had washed "down in under" - imagine broad Devonshire accent! smile

MissAdventure Wed 20-Feb-19 10:06:59

I don't like the enclosed feeling, and the water pouring down relentlessly.

dragonfly46 Wed 20-Feb-19 10:09:02

I cannot put clothes on unless I have washed all over including hair so I love the shower. I hate water and swimming but like to be clean. I only have baths in the winter if I am feeling cold.
My dad was the generation who had one bath a week. I remember when I was tiny being first in the tin bath in front of the fire before my mum and dad got in.

Maggiemaybe Wed 20-Feb-19 10:09:49

I hate getting water over my face, so just position the shower head to hit my neck down. That would at least cut out the problem of wet hair, and you could still wear your glasses and hearing aid? Unless of course you have a fixed overhead shower - my heart always sinks when I see one of those in a hotel bathroom and I know a few contortions will be necessary!

Maggiemaybe Wed 20-Feb-19 10:11:26

For me, rainforest shower = work of the devil. grin

EllanVannin Wed 20-Feb-19 10:12:39

I do love a good soak in a bath but I have a shower instead which I do find easier especially for washing my " tresses ". Fortunately I don't have any limb problems so am more than capable of managing a shower than perhaps a bath as time goes on.

I do sympathise with you though as having problems must make showering scary for you.
Do you have a " good friend " who could possibly oversee your safety and give a helping hand ?

annsixty Wed 20-Feb-19 10:13:38

We used to say "wash down as far as possible, wash up as far as possible and then wash possible".
Another one here who can't get in and out of the bath anymore, the last time I tried , my GD had to get me out.
I just shower quickly to get it over.

David1968 Wed 20-Feb-19 10:13:56

I love my daily shower! (DH & I haven't had baths in years.) In our shower we have a pull-down seat and a grab handle, both of which are useful. (I put my feet up on the seat, to wash them.) I haven't washed my hair in a basin for decades - too much of a faff. For me, hair-washing is easier in a shower (I have shoulder-length hair.)

Floradora9 Wed 20-Feb-19 10:16:47

Nobody has a bath in our house or on holiday . I am very wary of hotel baths no matter how clean they look .

Riverwalk Wed 20-Feb-19 10:18:33

Have you considered a battery-operated bath lift - this one is very good and requires no plumbing

Bathlift

It reclines as it lowers so you can have a good soak. You need to be physically able to sit side-on then lift your legs over into the bath.

Coolgran65 Wed 20-Feb-19 10:30:15

A few months ago we had our bath removed and a long walk in shower fitted. The work included wall panelling, glass screen with a smaller flip screen attached, and a new plastic ceiling with led downlighters. Also a new ducted ceiling extractor fan.
It feels so safe and is so easy to clean. We love it, the best £2,500 we've spent.

Grandma70s Wed 20-Feb-19 10:38:07

I’ve only got a shower here, walk-in, non-slip. I still hate it, though. It just isn’t relaxing in the way a bath is, but there’s no way I could manage a bath now. I miss it.

I don’t wash my hair in the shower. I do it in the wash basin, still a nuisance but at least I don’t get water pouring over my face.

I remember my mother complaining about what a nuisance keeping clean was as she got older. I had no idea what she was talking about at the time, but I certainly understand now!

Luckygirl Wed 20-Feb-19 10:40:57

Thanks for that link Riverwalk.

I only shower twice a week - strip wash the rest of the time. I find that Mitchum hard deodorant is very effective indeed. I sniff my vest each morning and not a whiff! Hooray!

Karanlouise Wed 20-Feb-19 11:03:17

Annsixty So funny. grin

Charleygirl5 Wed 20-Feb-19 11:14:20

I have a movable stool in my shower and thoroughly enjoy my evening shower. I prefer to wash my hair in the shower because rinsing is so much easier for me.

My shower is supposedly non-slip but not for me. I just take my time and do everything slowly.

ninathenana Wed 20-Feb-19 11:24:03

I haven't sat in a bath for years, but I do have to climb in it as the electric shower is over it. Feet are washed by resting the foot on the back end of the bath.I love a shower, our shower head is fully adjustable for height and angle and I take it out of the slot to jet wash my bits smile We have a bifolding glass screen so no soggy curtain to cling to me. I hate that in hotels as has been mentioned.
I always wash my hair in the shower. I turn my back to the shower head to rinse my hair, so no soap/water on my face.

silverlining48 Wed 20-Feb-19 11:31:08

I am with you lucky. I dislike showers for the reasons you give. I can still get into and out of my bath by turning round on my knees but not sure how long this can carry on as I will need a new knee sometime soonish. Am dreading it.

Stansgran Wed 20-Feb-19 11:39:38

I had to log in rather than lurk as I'm celebrating my FIRST bath in five weeks( post op TKR) bit worried about getting out but DH promised he would come if he heard a thump and a yell. I hate showers and have hated them since we stayed at the Bellevue Stratfield in Philadelphia donkey's years ago just before they discovered that all the deaths were due to the showers( Legionnaire's disease). The world is now my swimming pool. So pleased

Auntieflo Wed 20-Feb-19 11:41:52

Silverlining so elegant aren’t we. I have to do exactly the same since my knees are not what they used to be.
Luckgirl, I find one of those net puff thingys, just the job for washing my toes. Just anchor one side down with one foot, and scrub the other backwards and forwards. Swop feet and repeat! I also find a face flannel feels more secure to stand on than a bath/ shower mat.
Our shower has a little shelf attached to hold the liquid or bar soap, so it rarely gets lost.

Bagatelle Wed 20-Feb-19 11:47:06

Our ensuite is now a wet room because DH needs a flat, non-slip surface and room for two. He can wash himself but the room gets very wet when he does. It is small and I've had to add a shower curtain to protect the loo, basin and towels. The wet room works really well and we both like it. Don't know when I last had a bath.

tanith Wed 20-Feb-19 11:56:46

NBest thing we ever did was install a walk-in shower where the bath used to be, I love to get straight in the shower when I get up it’s just invigorating unless I’m going to the gym then I take one when I get home. Always wash my hair in there too but only every other day I just bring the shower head down a bit so it’s on my shoulders and avoids wetting my hair it works for me.
I can’t remember when I was last able to get in a bath.

DanniRae Wed 20-Feb-19 12:05:55

I can't get out of the bath from sitting down and our shower over the bath is not very good. I can step into the bath so my solution is to put some water in the bath, stand up in it, fill a jug with water and wet myself all over, clean myself all over with shower gel in a scrungy thing and then rinse soak off. I only do this every few days but have a thorough wash of my "pennies and tuppences" every day. What a great expression!
I also wash my hair in the bathroom sink but have been known to wash it in a bowl in the kitchen sink - like in the 'old days' grin