Hygeine 1950s - 2020s

I didn't have a daily bath, and still don't have a daily shower. I don't think it is necessary, except if it is hot and I'm sweating a lot, and I am quite capable of keeping myself clean without a daily bath or shower.

We had a bath and hair wash once a week, 1960s, on a Sunday. Clean underwear every day but socks only twice a week! Also had a wash every evening with mum saying which bits had to be washed , I remember not liking it when I was told I had to wash my knees, no idea why I didn't like it.

There were 6 in our family, everyone had their own flannel which were lined up on the bath rack. I used to take great delight in telling on my sisters if I noticed their flannel was still dry after they were supposed to have had a wash.

We had a bath and hair wash on a Sunday night ready for school. Other nights it was what my Mam called’a strip wash’.
Clean knickers and socks every day, and a nice ironed hair ribbon. ( 1950s)

Until I was six we lived in a house with no facilites. Water came in a bucket from the well down the road, oil lamps, tin bath at the weekend and privy at end of garden. Washing was done in a boiler once a week,wash board and mangle too. Toast could be made at the open fire.

I had a bath about three or four times a week but hair wash only once a week. I do remember Mum saying that the people next door only changed their knickers and socks once a week which she found shocking; we had clean every day. A school blouse had to last for two days, sometimes I got a clean one again on a Friday but not always. Cardigan was washed once a week. Gymslips and blazers etc had to go to the dry-cleaners so that was only once a term.

I had wyncyette pyjamas (is that spelt correctly?) and cosy flannelette sheets in the winter, goodness knows how they all got dried. The Laundry Fairy must have worked very hard.

I just took it all for granted and feel like giving my Mum a big hug to say thank you.

I had a bath twice a week most weeks as a child. Once would be Sunday and once in-between. We had toothpaste, soap and flannels and each had our "own" towels.

Clean socks and knickers every day too, and school shirt at least every-other day.

Almost everything was ironed. Even cardigans (and most certainly hair ribbons!)

I was very, very, fortunate and was aware of it, even in my primary school... though I hated "lacy" socks had those too in summer months.

Some of us were really lucky.

Always grateful Mum and Dad.
Happy days.

Callistemon

I just took it all for granted and feel like giving my Mum a big hug to say thank you.

Aah, that's so lovely.
You've honestly brought a tear to my eye

I think, as a child, I had a bath two or three times a week.

Underwear and socks changed every day as far as I remember.

FannyC yes, I feel a bit tearful too.
It's too late now, of course.
And my dear Dad used to polish my shoes every night.

I was one of eight children there was always more than one in the bath which was once a week. My mum washed every day to dads annoyance so we had clean clothes. We didn’t always have toothpaste we only got our hair washed once a week. If we had nits it was washed more often. I remember when I had nits my mum cut all my curls I was really upset. We all had a job to do in the house mine was brushing the stairs.

It’s funny how things have changed, isn’t it? When I was little, bath time and hair wash was always on a Sunday evening to be all smart for school the next day! The rest of the week it was a good wash at the sink.
Underwear was changed daily along with socks. I can’t really remember how often in the week other clothes were changed, but probably only if they got really dirty, because wash day was a big event and took Mum most of Monday to do - there was no automatic washing machine to do a quick wash in between times back then. We never smelled, though, and Mum was scrupulous about housework and keeping everything and everyone clean.
Teeth were cleaned every day, morning and evening.
We never had a lot financially, but we never went without and were well looked after. I’ve a lot to be thankful for.

We bathed once a week in front of the only fire in a tin bath shared with my sister and brother. Hair washed once a week and I honestly don’t remember even having a toothbrush till I was probably 10 or 12 the reason I had awful teeth no doubt. Socks were worn all week I can’t remember about underwear. When I think about it now it’s horrifying.

We had a tin bath in front of the fire and no inside loo until I we moved from private rented accommodation to a council house. I was 7 - the luxury of hot running water and a flush loo! An only child so I was fortunate not to have to share clothes or toiletries.
What sticks in my mind was that shampoo and hair (lacquer) spray were quite new things and every Saturday I was sent to the local shop to buy a little sachet of Supersoft shampoo to wash my hair and a sausage shaped pod full of lacquer which Mum poured into a plastic bottle that had to be squeezed to get it to spray out.

When I was first going out with the soon to be OH he said one of the reasons he liked me was because I smelled clean - I was horrified that other girls went out dirty.

A bath once a week. Top and tail wash in the sink every day. Hair was washed on a Sunday night and mum would brush it dry. I didn't have s clean blouse every day and woe betide me if I got a clean one dirty too soon. Clean undies and socks every day.

Hair wash and bath on Sundays, then a couple of other baths through the week. My bro and I shared a bath until we got old enough that we needed to be done separately.

I think undies were worn for two days until I reached a certain age. Outer clothing was worn for several days. I can’t much recall what I wore, apart from a checked skirt and some summer dresses.

There were seven of us, four children, my parents and my grandad, so my mum was always doing washing. I recall her machine with a wringer on top and then she got a twin tub, which was revolutionary, except it broke down all the time. We all had clean bedlinen weekly, six lots of bedding each time. She had a Flatley drier but I also remember her drying underwear in the oven, in desperation.

My mum is 93 now and still a clean-freak. The house was cleaned throughout every day.

I was fourth in the bath on a Saturday evening after the baby and two older siblings. I can remember having a bath at Granny’s and being surprised that the water was so clear.

Do you know, I can't really remember about changing clothes and undies. It just seemed to happen. We didn't smell dirty, and I didn't have deodorant until mid teens.

I know we had a bath once a week, and the top and tail, or " up to there, and down to there", every day, in our cold bathroom.
Hope that nothing was missed in between ?

I remember sharing the Sunday bath with my sister. I had to sit at the taps end. It wasn't fair!!

Despite my parents being horrible there was plenty of hot water and I had a nightly bath.
It was mainly because I could lock the door and get away from my family!
There were pupils at my primary school who used to go the local baths once a week.
It was where we went swimming, I was always intrigued to see the huge slipper baths and thought it would be wonderful experience.
It never occurred to me it was because they didn’t have a bathroom!

Once a week bath and hair wash on a Sunday. Tin bath until aged 7. Proper bathroom when we were rehoused by the Council that year.

One of the houses I lived in as a student in the early 80s had no hot water and we used the big slipper baths at the public baths up the road. 20p for a huge bath with as much hot water as we wanted....bliss.

We had a bath once a week, and hair washed then. Just a wash in between each day. Mum wasn’t too particular about teeth cleaning really, but I took that quite seriously myself.

Can’t remember how often we had clean underwear but not every day I think. Socks in the winter were knee length fawn ones, think they lasted a school week. Not sure about ankle socks in summer, more often I imagine.

But highly polished shoes were a must, they were cleaned every night.

It all sounds strange now, but I honestly cannot remember that me or any of my friends smelled or looked grubby.

Should add that back then we had definite school, best and play clothes. You changed out of school clothes the minute you got home, you had clothes that were kept for going out, and you had shabby, too small clothes that were for playing and messing about in.