Am I not washing properly?

[Washerg]

Inspired (worried!) following a poster today talking about buttocks washing.

I shower daily. By this I mean I stand under the shower and clean under my arms with water only, same down below. I let the water run all over me for a good ten or fifteen mins but don’t actually scrub or touch other parts of my body. On days I wash my hair (weekly), the soap will run down my body obviously but that’s the extent of any soap that runs over me.

I have from time to time used some shower gel but only if I feel like it. Haven’t for about a year or so and before then it would be some weeks not others. Just don’t feel the need I suppose... and when I do use it, again it would be under arms and definitely not a big body scrub. I don’t think I’ve ever ever washed my toes apart from when I’ve been on the beach or outside with no shoes on in summer. I do use deodorant and perfume.

I’m actually worried now that I’m some sort of disgusting person who doesn’t realise it!! It’s not something I’ve ever discussed with friends. Am I weird? Should I be scrubbing away?! I’ve NC.

Honestly this thread is one of the funniest 🤣 I don’t believe some of these comments.

I know some people hardly sweat and prefer not to use deodorants... the rest though I’m just going to humour!

This has to be some kind of joke?

@ImnotCarolineHirons And 2-3 minutes lathering up and rinsing is a lot quicker and more thorough than standing under a shower for 10-15 minutes staring into space!

Sounds like there are a lot of soap dodgers on Mumsnet 😐

Have you ever tried to clean say, a mucky shoe, by just running water over it? Usually it'll need some scrubbing, or elbow grease. Washing is like imo, you need to soap up and scrub some places to get the dirt/dead skin off. I shave practically everywhere too, which seems to help (with dead skin etc).

*Washing is like that, imo

Fresh sweat isn't so bad, stale sweat reeks.

"I do know the slightly musty post-toilet smell hanging in the stalls that some posters have mentioned."

^As a cleaner, I can tell you those sorts of smells can come from sanitary bins too, pads with heavy thrush discharge etc.

OP, I'm baffled by how you could ever feel "clean" by standing under a running shower for 15mins, without using a cleansing product. Surely you wouldn't wash dishes with just water?

That said, I do feel there is a tendency to over-wash and I've been guilty of this in the past. I used to shower twice a day (long showers too) and always used exfoliating gloves as I didn't ever feel clean without using a loofah/mitt of some sort. It wasn't until a sales assistant in Lush looked horrified when I talked her through my cleaning routine... I did my own research and realised using exfoliating gloves daily was excessive not to mention unhygienic unless you're laundering them regularly enough. A pp mentioned that it was fine to use a shower puff as it's being used with hot water etc, but a warm, moist environment is the perfect breeding ground for bacteria, hence why towels should be regularly laundered.

Anyhoo, I now use my exfoliating gloves 2-3 times a week and use my hands all other times. I still shower twice a day, and always use a shower gel of some kind though my showers are much shorter, 5 mins max. I lather my entire body (inc vulva and feet) and wash my hair 2-3 times a week (possible 2 times now since we're homebound). Not sure if living in London is a factor, but pre-covid when we were in offices and travelling on the tube twice a day, there's no way I would have felt clean without using shower gel/soap.

I have a japanese style bidet toilet at home so my nether regions get washed whenever I go to the toilet - this doesn't stop me from cleaning them in the shower too.

Shout out to Imperial Leather soap which is perhaps the only soap that makes me feel truly squeaky clean, though a little on the dryer side. Dove soap bar is nice and mild though may be too perfumed for some. I moisturise twice a day.

To all those that claim not to wash their feet, this seriously gives me the ick. You do realise that dirt/bacteria has a tendency to hide under nails right? Clean your feet ffs.

I think not using a deodorant is a different thing entirely - my dad never wore one, did a very physical job 6 days a week yet never smelled bad. He also only had a bath once a week (as we didn't have a shower in those days). He did however have a thorough strip wash with soap (probably Coal Tar, or maybe Imperial Leather if we were flush that month ) every day without fail. He also used to wash his hands every day in bleach, but I'm not recommending that! He was always very clean though.

Soap, shower gel, whatever but you need some sort of detergent. It's like washing clothes, run them under a tap and you might get the obvious dirt off but they won't smell or feel clean.

@washerg oh my days OP you poor thing what did you start 🤣

I just came on to say that in my opinion if you don't smell (which you've confirmed) then you're fine!

Wash however you want. It's not a case of doing it wrong or right, as you can probably tell from this thread everyone is a bit different!!

And speaking as a medical person, you're right, soaps in the genital area are actually not really recommended to be used very often.

Soap was invented to kill bacteria. That's why it's used on hands, to prevent spread of harmful bugs to your mouth (or others).

Hope you haven't had a massive confidence crisis and happy showering 🧼

*As a cleaner, I can tell you those sorts of smells can come from sanitary bins too, pads with heavy thrush discharge etc.

And speaking as a medical person, you're right, soaps in the genital area are actually not really recommended to be used very often

Pretending to be a “medical person” doesn’t make your this any more accurate, even the nhs guidance says wash with a gentle soap/gel daily.
😂

@Grenlei

I think not using a deodorant is a different thing entirely - my dad never wore one, did a very physical job 6 days a week yet never smelled bad. He also only had a bath once a week (as we didn't have a shower in those days). He did however have a thorough strip wash with soap (probably Coal Tar, or maybe Imperial Leather if we were flush that month ) every day without fail. He also used to wash his hands every day in bleach, but I'm not recommending that! He was always very clean though.

Soap, shower gel, whatever but you need some sort of detergent. It's like washing clothes, run them under a tap and you might get the obvious dirt off but they won't smell or feel clean.

It’s not an entirely different thing. I haven’t met many people that don’t need to use a deodorant because they don’t sweat very much. Personally I NEED to use a deodorant and I think a lot of people do... other wise you will smell by the end of the day.

Why are some posters so anti soap.?
Just because you think that you don’t smell, it doesn’t mean that you don’t smell.
Those tv ads whereby people wash themselves by using their hands to seductively caress their bodies have got a lot to answer for.

One of the ‘good’ things about lockdown is that I no longer have to put up with the pungent, musty smells that used to assault my nostrils during my daily commute.

@Kittromney if you are washing your pits and bits with soap, then you're doing something totally different to the OP. The OP says they use water only in those places.

The feet washing though is beyond me. Having said that I do tend to rinse them right before bed so that the sheets don’t get dirty.

I find scrubbing my feet when they really need a good wash deeply satisfying! I soak them in water and then all this filth just rubs off them.

I think it depends how old you are and how much you sweat?? I never used to use shower gel until about 24 when I started to get a bit more sweaty. However I think it is kind of self perpetuating the more you use the more you need 🤷‍♀️ which can't be good for you but anyway I digress. I also used to only need to wash hair twice a week until I had kids and my hormones seemed to change and now I just have a sweaty head all the time!

The best test for what happens if you don't scrub occasionally is to have a cast on
The utter bliss when it came off and I could exfoliate and shave my legs... I can't even describe it the amount of skin that came off was insane

I have to say, I am quite disgusted by the lack of personal hygiene by some in this thread. Truly disgusted

@Smallgoon

I have to say, I am quite disgusted by the lack of personal hygiene by some in this thread. Truly disgusted

People reserve the right to ming.

I can't believe this threads still going

FWIW, a gynae told me to use dermol 500 or similar to wash the nethers with. Water is too drying and soap can cause thrush.

I switch between dermol and some sort of fanny wash that’s PH balanced.

@Smallgoon

I have to say, I am quite disgusted by the lack of personal hygiene by some in this thread. Truly disgusted

I know right. Here’s me thinking MN was a classy bunch!

I still think this thread was started as a joke. I can't believe half of you don't use soap/shower gel down below! I'd like to know what your OH's think about it.