How long CAN you go without a shower?

[1000DayChallenge]

I like to shower twice a day. I don’t do manual work or lots of exercise, I just like it. However

We currently don’t have a bathroom (apart from loo). We’re having a new one installed and it was supposed to be usable today, but it’s not going to be until (hopefully) Sunday. Maybe Monday or Tuesday.

I’m having to make do with really really thorough strip washes, and I can wash my hair in the kitchen sink. The strip washes involve two buckets of hot water, one clean, one soapy, and four flannels. I feel like it’s enough but is it? I don’t smell, I don’t think

Is this healthy? It’s a stupid thing to be worried about but I worry about everything

Going somewhere else isn’t an option

We didn't live in a house with a shower until I was aged 28. I strip washed every day and washed my hair twice a week. Every so often I would have a bath.

Even now I only shower every 3 days (when my hair needs to be washed). A proper strip wash can be more effective than a shower because you are taking care to scrub your armpits etc with a flannel rather than relying on the water from the shower and your hands alone.

I prefer to shower every morning. when I have been late up a few times I have had a strip wash but still felt a bit mingy.

Proper showers in houses (rather than an extension to the bath taps) are still quite a recent thing in terms of human- history. You’re obviously very young. I think we only got a proper shower in the 90s. It was baths & sink washes. I also remember “saving” the bath water for another family member/having a bath with my older sister or mum.

I think if you don’t have a manual/dirty job or do lots of exercise two showers a day is excessive. At most you need one.

Ok so I don’t have a sink, so the buckets are one for use with shower gel and one that’s clean water to make sure all soap is off. The four flannels (I’ve now got rid of two) was for soapy ones, and just water ones. It was totally overkill!!

Still have no shower or basin, but I’m positive I don’t smell.

as has been said a while ago it was usual to only have one bath a week, showers were not the norm growing up I did not know anyone who had a shower.
strip washes were the norm. In some ways I feel cleaner with a strip wash more thorough

2 showers a day is excessive. I’m sure when we were kids we only had a weekly bath haha

There was a documentary about an African tribe and they 'washed' in cow urine- as it was coming out of the cow. Water was too precious to waste on washing.

People who don't shower or bath every day DO smell and I'm standing by it.

Just because we couldn't do it in the 80s or whatever doesn't mean we shouldn't do it now.

OP, you have valid reason and are excused.

Other posters who think their flannel is reet: no, you smell. It's not the dark ages. Get wet.

But I didn’t smell in the 70’s and 80’s. Someone would have told me if I had. How do you explain that?

I’ve been camping before in places with no shower facilities, I just strip washed, used 2 flannels, hot water and soap. It was fine and I felt clean.

Standards were different. Bet cavemen didn't think they whiffed.

I know two showers a day is a lot, but they’re very quick. Like a pp said, my bucket wash is probably more thorough.

I definitely don’t NEED two showers a day, but years of living in a house with terrible plumbing and water pressure really made me appreciate what we have (had 🙄) here. Roll out of bed and have a quick shower, then in the evening another quick shower and pyjamas before dinner. Because I’m a party animal clearly.

Two buckets and four flannels? What on earth.

One bucket, one bar of soap, one flannel.

Wash your face first, then wet the flannel, lather with soap and work your way down. Rinse flannel and wipe until no soap residue left wash feet last in bucket.

What a palava you're creating.

And of course it enough. How do you think people cleaned themselves before bathrooms were a thing?

This

TBH I'm more confused by the people who don't think a good stripwash will get you clean...it's like they don't know how soap and water work!
You know the water isn't better if it comes from above as opposed to being applied via flannel, same goes for soap. Anybody washing with soap and water everyday isn't going to smell.

When I posted this I was genuinely concerned, but after over a week of no shower I can safely say it’s going well! I feel thoroughly clean and smell lovely.

I don’t know why I was so worried!!