question for those that stripwash instead of shower

[eggyfart]

our monthly water bills going up! so decided to stripwash instead of shower daily, but I use the shower for hair wash days (2- 3 times a week). Well just used the sink, feel lovely and clean. But I did seem to get a bit of water on the floor!

So tell me stripwashers how do ya do it!

Daily bathing or showering isn't really needed unless it's hot or you're doing manual labour or very sweaty workouts. A strip wash or flannel wash is hardly "running a wet rag over yourself". Growing up in the 70s it was totally normal to have a flannel wash every day and a bath once a week or so and I'm damn sure we didn't smell. Also showers can dry out your skin if you're prone to excema or psoriasis. It's also a waste of water.

Here's what I do for a flannel wash, usually before bed. Stand on a towel or bathmat, plug in, sink full of hot water, add a dash of liquid soap for a bit of bubbles and nice smell. Wring out clean flannel in the hot water, wash face and then neck. Wring out flannel again, wipe armpits to dampen, then soap armpits and rinse off with damp flannel. Repeat with undercarriage (front first). Let water out of sink and rinse flannel in clean hot water, use to wash feet (if feeling flexible stick feet in sink- one at a time obvs!). Wring out flannel and chuck in washing basket, it gets washed on 60 with towels and I use a clean one each time. Sounds complicated, takes but a few moments.

No water required -

www.nilaqua.co.uk/

I’ve bought a bottle of the shampoo to keep in my emergency hospital bag as the last time I was in hospital I had difficulty washing my hair and didn’t want anyone to help me.

I’ve tested it and it’s brilliant.

I love the people who can tell someone stinks from a strip wash! As a PP said you do have a wash! I last strip washed when my boiler went kaput. You do a proper lather under the pits and bits then use the flannel to rinse and do your back and shoulders. Its a complete faff but it does the job.

Tinkywiny, yes they also had pisspots and latrines dug into holes.

There may be times when someone needs to have a wee in the bushes because better cannot be done. Similarly there will be times when washcloth stripwaah is all that's possible. But regularly peeing in bushes or making stripwashing the default way of keeping your body clean is just strange.

The idea that regular showers is bad for you is just nonsense. I come from a country where it's normal to shower once or twice a day. People look younger than their years and there are no obvious problems suffered from regular showers. No dry skin epidemic either.

Take it in turns with your partner to distract the operator whilst one of you streaks through the automated car wash

This post made the thread worth reading.

I had no idea this was a thing in this day and age! I absolutely wouldn't feel clean at all doing this. 2 showers a day here and not excessive water bills at all.

And any savings from stripwashing versus a 2 minute shower must be negligible. So goodness knows why someone would make stripwashing their normal default routine. It all sounds shabby and a recipe for stink.

I have a strip wash about once a month when I am running really really late! I actually really like it and definitely feel clean!

My routine when boiler not working or similar is to use a full bucket of water in the empty bath, with a plastic cup to tip the water on myself. No mess, no mat or flannel to wash or dry, I can even do my long thick hair fairly easily like that.

I'm disabled and can't get in and out of the bath nor stand in the bath to use the shower so I strip wash. I use three cloths, one for my face, one for my body and one for my bits. They are different colours and I have several sets so they are washed regularly. I wash my hair leaning over the bath with shower attachment but my hair is very dry so don't wash it every day, usually 2 or 3 times a week.

In the time it's taken me to fill the sink with warm water, soaped a flannel or shower pouffe up and washed myself I could've been in and out of the shower hair washed the lot!! Can't stand being in there any longer than about 4 mins. The exception being if I'm having problems with my damaged neck then sometimes I stand in longer to let the hot water ease the pain and even then it's maybe 7-8 mins at the most. My Fella however can happily stand there pissing an hour away under the shower whilst losing his train of thoughts. I tried it once and wanted to drown myself through boredom after 20 mins

Sometimes I can't be arsed to have a shower as it makes my hair go frizzy. So I have a strip wash. It's not complicated. I just wash the bits that could smell. I don't think smelly people on trains have had strip washes. I don't even think there are that many smelly people on trains.

There must be easier ways in this day and age?

How much does water cost?

I would lather up with the water turned off, turn back on to rinse etc.

This is 2019, not the 1850's!

Towel on floor (a previously used towel, different from the one for drying body), wipe up any remaining water from floor with it. These are hammam type towels rather than terry so don't get as sopping wet.

No idea why you would stink - unless you weren't actually washing all over. I don't use flannel on bits - that is splashed several times with handfuls of water to rinse, different hand for each end. And feet are done last - one at a time rinsed under the tap (still got some flexibility from yoga) or the rubbish showerhead which takes at least twice as long.

Shower here is very weak. Would take a lot longer to rinse off from it than with flannel on skin rinsed under the tap. Though I do use it sometimes as a final going over after the flannel if I've used body scrub.

I find power showers addictive and found it hard not to spend 20+ minutes in them when I was living somewhere with one. I think it's an aspie sensory comfort thing. It was emotionally easier to go cold turkey on power showers than try to have a short shower using one.
The strip wash just feels refreshing (whilst weak showers feel depressing) and I never feel like dawdling.

SilverySurfer

There are plenty of ways to manage keeping clean in any circumstances. Having worked a community nurse in recent years, I have become very aware of the difficulties many older people have with the bog standard UK bathroom.

On the back of this and my own arthritis, we have recently had the bathroom done in preparation for retiring in a few years. This replaces a very old traditional bathroom suite which has given loyal service during all the years we brought up our family. The bath has been removed and the floor tanked wet room style. We also needed a new water tank to improve the water pressure. This heats up enough water in 30 minutes each morning to last all day, much more energy efficient that the old one which was 36 years old.

We now have a rain shower with a wall mounted removable shower attachment to do the nether regions as needed. We could also use a shower stool in years to come if needed. I know this is not an option for everyone, but we decided to plan for it whilst still working and earning.

Unless you are disabled, I don't see how this is quicker or easier than an army shower. Water on for a few seconds to get wet. Soap body. Then water on for 20-30 seconds to rinse off. Done.

When tried using previously drawn water, with some heated in the kettle it's worked out at 6-10 litres for the washing, plus some extra separately for several rinses of the cloth.

It will be more for doing the whole thing the usual way at the sink straight from the tap, though never measured for obvious reasons. (Tap always switched off when not running the cloth under it.)

This is 2019, not the 1850's!

That archaic side of it actually makes it enjoyable for me.

Plus, as I no longer need to wash my hair every day, it's useful not getting it wet. (When I was younger and it was horribly greasy, I really had to wash it every day.)

And I've always hated baths.

Water bills now show my usage as consistently about 1/3 of the standard consumption.

Years ago with the same water company, when I was living in a flat with a power shower for the first time, one of the water company staff suggested when I queried the bill that there might be a leak as I was using so much. The building manager checked, and there wasn't, so it must have been all the long power showers. Though I've also rationalised other things since then, like having clothes that can all go in the same wash load, other than a few hand wash items.

Grim. My MIL does this and she does smell.

I strip wash out of necessity if there's no hot water, but never really feel that the undercarriage is sparkling clean. I'd take a quick shower. Nicer all round.

Mil strip washes and she def doesn’t smell. She doesn’t do it every day as she loves baths but she does strip wash.

It sounds very faffy to me. I prefer a quick shower.

I think people who smell don’t even strip wash let alone shower.

Also on public transport etc it’s often clothes that smell from not being washed often enough as well as people.

@eggyfart check you don’t have a leak in your toilet. Our bill went up astronomically and it was literally a constant teeny trickle at the back of the basin.

My friend does this but unfortunately she really smells.

I'm amazed people do this by choice. I understand it for the bed bound but it seems crazy to choose to wash this way. It was common in the 70s but so was smoking on planes and measles. Thankfully, society has moved on.

I would just have a quick shower could not be arsed faffing about strip washing. I'm finding it quite amusing though that people are horrified at the thought!! How dirty do people get that they need two showers a day!!

And people think MN is middle class.... saving money by adopting some medieval bowl method