Parents don't shower often.

[pateandcheese]

Is this a generational thing?
My parents in their late 60's only shower once a week.
I wouldn't say they ever smell or look scruffy, but I find it odd.
I've obviously not lived at home in 15+ years so never really noticed before, but before lockdown we went away as a family for a week and they both showered once in that time.
Me, my DH and small kids shower or bath every day without fail.
They're both retired so it's not as if they're massively busy.
They're very house proud and everything is fresh and ironed and tidy.
I just don't get the showering thing.
But thinking about it when I lived at home I'd only shower a few times a week in my teens too. It's only since moving out I shower every day.

But on the other hand I don't suppose they get massively dirty?
Do people in care homes get bathed or showered every day?
I was thinking it was a bit gross not showering every day, but I imagine lots of people don't?

Do they smell?

Many older people have a sink wash daily but a full shower once a week or so

No they don't smell, and strangely my mum wet wipes every day, I imagine her pits and bits?!
Sorry for TMI! Just find it odd!

When I was younger it was a once a week ritual. Most likely related to cost and effort - now these things are easier and cheaper. Showering every day is not good for your skin either.
I shower when I want to!

My mums the same, she’s about once every 3 months.
Dad showers every day though.

I guess its partly a generational thing. Once a week is a bit too long in my book. I smell after missing a day!

I think it’s generational. My parents were always once a week bathers. I can’t remember when I changed?

I think it’s to do with how they grew up, I know mum mum had no central heating and no hairdryer, so drying the hair was a big deal. You wouldn’t want to go to bed with wet hair in a bedroom that got ice on the inside of the windows. (I have heard about this many times!)

Then there’s the obvious hot water issues.

So I suppose if they were used to that and it seemed ok, then why change?

*my mum

My DM was complaining about my DF, 81, a few months ago that he only showers once a week and only changes his pants twice a week. From that conversation I expect my DM washes herself and changes her knickers daily.

I remember my exH's grandmother telling me when you get to 80 you only need a bath once a week. Perhaps it's the law for the over 80's.

Mine were like this and would wash at the sink, which was more time and faff than showering. Still don’t really understand it, especially as I didn’t realise a daily shower was the norm until I was around 17!

This was perfectly normal when I was a kid in the 70s&80s. You had a bath once a week and a sink wash otherwise. When showers became more common, people used them more often but summer will have stuck to their original habits.

Perhaps we need to stop buying toiletries as gifts for the older generation because they obviously don't need as much as we think they do.

I definitely smell if I miss a day! I'd feel disgusting. But I do have a pretty physical job, plus running round after the kids, 2 school runs a day, an hour dog walk and then running around the house cleaning.
My DH even takes the mick out of my showers as I'm in and out in 3 mins flat, but surely that's easier than wet wiping yourself every day?!

Perhaps it's just how they've always done things - daily showers were not usual when we were growing up. We had a weekly bath when we were kids, in fact we didn't have a shower in the house until we were early teens. Daily shower for me and and also DBro since then, but DPs didn't really change their habits.

DMum can't use bath now, feels claustrophobic in shower but has a 'proper' wash every day.

I would say as long as they look and smell clean then there's no issues, surely.

Similar with clothes washing - people seem to wash clothes after one wear (obviously pants and socks changed daily), which never happened when we were kids, unless clothes were dirty or smelled.

‘This was perfectly normal when I was a kid in the 70s&80s’

Not in my house. We all had a bath every day.

We didn’t have a shower when I was growing up, running a bath was a faff and took time and lots of hot water so it was a once a week thing.

My dad bathed daily as he had a dirty, manual job for many years.

I tend to shower 2-3 times a week, (when I feel my hair needs washing). The rest of the time I have a strip wash.

And with regards to care homes, you are lucky if they get bathed once a week.

Modern houses usually have good supplies of hot water, and if heated by gas, the speed of heating is good, and the energy cost is low.

Older people may have grown up, and lived as young adults, in places where none of those factors applied.

If there are no signs if them needing a shower then whatever they are doing is enough. I don't think there is a right or a wrong amount of times to wash (unless you smell or are visibly unclean)

I expect they wash daily OP so not as gross as you might think. I know my mum finds it an effort now to actually shower and wash her hair and there is the fear of falling ever present. In care homes its around once a week for a bath I think.

I think its a generation thing and also an age thing. My grandma is worried she will slip in the shower so she doesn't shower every day but sink wash on those days instead.

I am 70 as is DH, brother and SIL are older, we have friends all around that age and I can assure you we all shower every day so it’s not a generation thing. I’d call it laziness, I know you say they don’t smell but really, they must, I’m sure you get used to your parents smell.

Another one who grew up in the 70s and 80s with a bath once a week (and usually second hand water as well).

I'm sure it was fairly normal - going away with friends and as a student in mid/late 80s sharing accommodation, no one showered daily.

Still only shower every 3 days or so otherwise my skin falls off and hair goes wild. I don't smell.

Clothes wise clean sock and pants daily, but other clothes were worn several times. Washing was only done once a week and we didn't have enough clothes to change all the time!

My dad is dead now but would be in his sixties if he was alive. Growing up I remember him having a bath once a week. We didn't have a shower so that was it. He never seemed to smell and he didn't use deodorant. I think it's generational

I shower between 1-3 times a week. Hair wash 1-2 a week. New underwear and socks daily.

Just because they only have a shower once a week doesn't mean they don't wash every day. That's what my grandma would do, once weekly bath, hair twice a week (once in the sink) and a bits and pits thorough wash every day.

In the old days you used to have to heat up water in the immersion heater and it would take ages and be limited to one tank, everyone couldn't have a shower off one tank! I remember student shared houses, the last person had a semi cold shower!

My kids take 30 min plus showers sometimes (I have had a word!) because they have never experienced a hot water tank running out!

Old habits die hard, I don't think daily washing of your entire body is needed myself, unless you are a very smelly person and even then, a proper flannel wash would sort you out with a bowl of hot water from the kettle.