'I don't shower every day'

[WhiteRosesAndThistles]

When someone states they don't shower every day would you assume they are washing the important bits on the days they are not showering or would you think they are completely unwashed on those days?
Going off the BO wafting around in the shops yesterday I would assume most people are not washing inbetween showering!

I agree @Autumn38.

I worked with someone who smelled badly, of stale BO. She had no sense of smell due to a sinus issue or something. In order to be subtle a colleague started talking about showers and how often do we wash etc in the hope of dropping hints. This woman seemed to shower all the time and talked about how she hated to be unclean etc. If anything she claimed to wash unusually frequently. Nothing changed, the smell remained. A few months later she did a big shop and restocked her entire work wardrobe, she told us she got rid of all her old stuff. Suddenly the bad smell disappeared and she never smelled off again. Poor woman had a cheap old clothes issue more than a hygiene issue and never realised.

@BatchCookBabeThere’s something very wrong with your personal hygiene if you need to shower daily. Are you not wiping properly? What on earth are you doing (or not doing) to need to wash your entire body head to toe every single day?!

You are stripping your skin & hair of its natural moisture and oils and slowly destroying it.

I think it is actually mouldy washing machines.

People don't realise that a regular 60°C wash is essential to keep the machine clean and mould free. You also need to leave the door and drawer open between washes.

The mould will increase slowly and people simply don't notice the smell because it's omnipresent in their kitchens, bedding, clothes, etc.

If people also leave their washing in the machine overnight/24 hours+ the smell can be horrific.

There really should be a public information campaign on social media to educate people.

I'd suggest everybody sticks their heads inside the washing machine drum. If you can smell even the faintest whiff of mustiness, then the chances are that you stink of mould and don't realise it.

You need to clean your machine (less that £2 for a twin pack of washing machine chemicals at Lidl) and then wash all your clothes at 60°C to get rid of the mould.

That’s a good point. People on here sometimes (very proudly) talk about how they only ever use the quick wash, but if you read the manual of your machine, the quick wash cycles are usually for a very small load only, so for washing a couple of items. I think mine says the quick wash is for a 2kg load and it’s an 11kg machine! So I think a lot of people just aren’t washing clothes on the proper cycle, coupled with the issues some people have with drying them at certain times of year, which leads to staleness of clothes, smells being retained and trapped, etc.

If you don’t shower every day you’re a little grot bag. I smell people in shops and can’t quite believe they’ve left the house

“If you don’t shower twice a day you’re a little grot bag. I smell people in shops and can’t quite believe they’ve left the house”

those two sentences are not necessarily connected.

I NEED to. Like I shower every morning and by bed time, I basically whiff a little. I’d be smelly if I didn’t wash for a day. I just am quite sweaty and I don’t do much, I think it’s hormonal as I also get hot flushes and run warm generally.

I was quite smelly yesterday at a birthday party even though I showered in the morning and wore deodorant :( only when I lifted my arms and because I wasn’t wearing sleeves.

These smelly folks might be washing!

Clothes/washing machine can definitely be an issue. I do use the quick and eco settings on my machine, but I also often use 60° washes, eg for bedding, towels and gym kit. The gym kit labels say 30/40° but I find they can withstand a hotter wash and they need it otherwise bacteria from sweat doesn’t shift so the next time you wear the item, it smells as soon as your body starts to warm up in the clothes, before you’ve even broken a sweat. I use laundry sanitiser for gym kit too.

I also run my machine empty at 95° with soda crystals in- I do that once a month or every six weeks and it keeps the machine clean and smelling fresh.

Wow @Amybelle88 what a charmer you are! Maybe you are smelling yourself in shops

What rubbish! I have heard people say they got up late and didn't have time to shower before work, they certainly don't smell. I often only shower every second day myself.

As for having to shower because you have pooed - do you have a shower every time you do a poo?

The assumption that everyone who smells does so simply because they haven't had a shower for two days is ridiculous.

And you can tell when they last showered? Aren't you a little wonder.

There's no excuse in this day and age to not have a fast daily shower. Those who say it's bad for the environment are just lazy and looking for excuses. If you're having a wash you may aswell just have a shower instead 🚿 it's actually easier than faffing around trying to wash your arse whilst trying not to soak the floor. You feel so much better when clean and fresh, it's good for the head.

@snowfrogjellyI mean, I’m not - I shower daily

How do you know though, you may be one of those grotbags that should be showering twice a day.

Absolutely. Some of the responses on here are so depressing. Feels like people have zero pride in themselves and I wonder about the state of their house and car.

Clean yourself properly after sex?

Is this a thing I didn’t know about? I usually go to sleep, have I been doing it wrong for over 30 years!

I clean myself after sex. By having a shower.

Agreed, I’ve spent time in south east Asia and some African nations were people struggled a lot more financially and it was obviously very hot over there which meant people are going to sweat more, but one thing I noticed is they made sure they were clean and showered at least once usually more, every day.

It smelled nicer on a bus in Thailand or Accra than a bus in London or Glasgow.

It’s inconsiderate toward others as well, it just takes a few unshowered people to stink out a bus or train carriage. Shower dodgers think they don’t smell but they do, especially if there’s a few of them in a confined space.

@outofofficeagain@outofofficeagainI mean, I see what you’re trying to do here, but given the fact I can literally smell myself, you’re incorrect. Although shocker alert, if I feel I need another shower I’ll have two a day! Wild.

Unless you are physically unable, you should be showering daily. Going out in public smelling is, at best, unpleasant and saying so doesn’t make me feel bad at all.

Theres people on here who say they don’t shower after sex or just use a cloth. Sorry - that is disgusting, especially if your partner isn’t wearing a condom. You literally swap fluids during sex. Rank.

I don't shower every day but I do wash all the important bits every day and use deodorant.

@ThisOldThang thanks for that helpful advice. I've just put my machine on with soda crystals on a hot wash. Much like the colleague I mentioned earlier, I too have a very poor sense of smell and it makes me paranoid sometimes. I go through patches of zero ability but I'm feeling it's quite sharp at the moment and I put my head in the machine and there was a mild but foul smell. Dd had a nose like a fox so she is my go to for smell related advice, I really lack confidence around this.

I don't shower every day, but the important bits get washed and deodorant used daily. I will admit I've been dealing with a mental health slip so even this daily routine has slipped too, but I'm aware of it and working to sort myself out.

Oh, and because I know people will say that by the time I've done that, I could've showered, I've got sensory issues and showering is something that takes a lot of mental energy, so not something I can face every day. So it happens on hair washing days which is usually 2-3x a week.

So you’ll have an extra shower if you feel the need, and feel you have enough faith in your own judgement to assess whether you smell or not.

Maybe you could treat other people with the same respect.

You never just cosy in and fall asleep? What if you have sex at 3am? do you get up and shower straight away? I think I would feel quite offended if my OH got up for a shower after sex, it would make me feel like he felt dirty. Do you feel dirty after sex?