Cleanliness and hygiene

I have a bath every day. I suffer from RA and a hot bath eases my aching joints. I find it very comforting when I'm in pain.
However, it's becoming extremely difficult to get in and out of the bath, so I think my bath days are numbered and I will have to start using our wet room, where we have handrails and a shower seat. The floundering whale situation, is not a good look!

When I was a child, the whole family washed once a week in a tin bath in front of the fire, with my mother boiling water on the stove, as we only had cold running water.
We still managed to stay clean and not smell!

Bath once a week on a Saturday morning back in the 1950s; hairwash over the kitchen sink Saturday evening, and stripwash every evening in between at the kitchen sink too. Clean knickers twice a week!

Now, I have a shower and hairwash every morning, don't feel clean otherwise, even if I know there's just me and I'm not going out or expecting visitors. Clean underwear every day. DH was the same, he was very particular.

Once a week baths when I was a pre- teen, but certainly washing of 'bits' in between. There were 6 of us with one bathroom and an old solid fuel boiler - there would never have been enough hot water for a bath each every day.

Recently on MN a poster said she not only baths her young children every night, but showers them every morning too!
The levels of clean-freakery do still astonish me sometimes.

Great idea Liz46 if you haven't got a shower! That's why I think a walk in shower is a must especially when older, it eliminates the problem of stepping into the bath that can be dangerous if not impossible. We swapped our bath tub for one when my late mother in law was living with us and no longer able to get into the tub because of severe arthritis. We have never regretted it!

Must admit I certainly like to think that bathing small children every night is a must. Part of the bedtime routine, lovely and clean and relaxed ready for their bedtime story.

Always remember what a farmer friend said about his children;

“I don’t mind how dirty they get in the day, but I do like to see them go to bed clean!

Mumsyface, we all should be reflecting on former frugal ways to be hygienic. You are doing so well!
Some of us need to make friends with normal human body odour.

I think I’d rather be Billy No Mates, Alexa.

Maggiemaybe, I know I'm the same. But at the same time the personal cleanliness industries are too influential for our good.

I'm not so sure about that Alexa. L'eau de Teenage Boy or Parfum de Sweaty Feet does not appeal!

I know what you mean about the industry though, Alexa. I’ve never been one for shower gels, body lotions, etc. Just a 2 minute shower with plain old soap and a slick of roll on deodorant does for me. I bought one of those Clay Cure deodorants recently - thinking natural ingredients, less plastic - but I’m finding it messy, even if it keeps those normal odours at bay!

this thread makes me smile too. I feel it depends as some have said on what you have been doing in a day. Gardening etc and I would come in and have a complete change of clothes and bath etc.

If other activities though find top and tail is adequate. Especially since my menopause I find my skin is more sensitive and actually feel too many baths make it worse. I'm also careful now about which products I use i.e. nothing highly scented.

Strange thing but when my DD was born I developed a sense of smell like a bloodhound. One of the worst 'hygiene' offences in my book is when someone overdoes the perfume in a public place. It makes me personally feel ill, with chemicals etc - but no one seems to consider that a 'hygiene' offence. In my book it is...

all best
painting

But I shower every day because I feel good not because I'm worried about smelling of BO! Glad some items like intimate sprays have disappeared from the shelves, another American OTT item definitely not needed!

As kids it was a Sunday night bath and hair wash, ready for school on Monday. Now it depends on how I feel, if my joints are in a bad way then its a shower every morning to ease things. Otherwise its every couple of days with a strip wash daily unless of course I have doing something like gardening. Use to love a daily bath but like others its the getting in and out.

The OP says she showers after going swimming. I hope she showers BEFORE getting into the swimming pool as well!
For the lady who misses her bidet - you can buy a portable bidet from Amazon. It is basically a bowl which sits over the loo. Fill it with water, sit on it to wash your bits and pieces, then tip the water down the loo. I have one, it's one of the best things I have bought.

I wasn’t paying attention to my surroundings walking into a store and almost ran into a homeless man that was covered in so many heavy clothes he reminded me of a caveman. The smell that came upon me was something I’d never experienced and hope to never again. I’m having parathyroid surgery tomorrow and I have to bathe tonight and tomorrow head to toe with surgical scrub. Avoiding private area. Use antibacterial soap on my hair and have someone wash my back if I need help. Change my sheets and wear clean night clothes and clean clothes to the hospital. I guess you have to tell people to wear clean clothes these days. Infection is such a worry these days.

Slightly off topic but I remember a product called Femfresh....might be still available I'm not sure. It was a sort of wash cream to use but I really think just to encourage women to spend money on an unnecessary product. I'm quite happy with plain soap and water and generally as we get older our skin becomes drier anyway.

Adding to my post the surgery papers also said no deodorant or creams or anything on my body. Makes me wonder why deodorant would effect surgery on my neck?

Well, your armpit and neck are pretty close, I'd say?

They're probably erring on the side of caution, but armpits can be tricky things.

Some of those feminine hygiene products are said to be damaging to health - and I think talc was also found to increase the risk of cancer.

When I had my recent angiogram, I was advised not to use any deoderant, nail polish, creams or perfume and there was no surgery involved.

Good grief Envious.

When DS had surgery he was supposed to have a bath and hairwash in betadine in the hospital (he was admitted the evening before). Betadine is basically iodine to which he is allergic. That caused a bit if a flap!!!

You can still get Femfresh powder, though Boots and other chemists don't seem to sell it any more. I buy it on e-bay. The main ingredient is not talc, but maize (corn) flour. I don't use it on intimate 'bits', but find it's excellent for keeping at bay those red marks under the boobs....

I don't mind them selling such products if they sell them on the 'similar to your natural ph' principle but when they suggest we need them not to smell!

And as for talcum powder being dangerous well we are all doomed! Our mothers used to finish off our baths with a generous dusting of the white stuff!

For anyone who is interested in the suggestion that there is a link between using talc and ovarian cancer.

www.nhs.uk/news/cancer/talc-and-ovarian-cancer-what-the-most-recent-evidence-shows/