in thinking that there is no real reason for most people to SMELL is there?

[HugoFirst]

unless have run a marathon etc.
WASH yourselves and please wash your clothes you stinkers

worralliberty... I'm Irish and hadn't heard that one before I may have to adopt it though

at WhereTheWildThingsAre (probably in nickel's pants. Or in all our washing machines)

Oh dear, Dropdeadfred seems to be doing that medical/psychology degree student thing, where the student becomes convinced that they are suffering from every ailment in the book. Hopefully by the time she's finished her microbiology studies, she'll have calmed down a bit. Otherwise maybe she could go and work for Dettol or someone.

NEWSFLASH the whole world is colonised by bacteria, including our bodies - inside and out. Some of the bacteria is harmful, most of it is harmless or beneficial. You can't get rid of all the 'germs' with all your chemical scrubbing, and frankly, you shouldn't want to. Faecal bacteria is also everywhere - the world is full of animals, including us, who shit all the time. Wash your hands before you eat, ffs, and stop panicking about the rest of it.

nickelbabe I am in awe at how calm and polite you have stayed in the face of all this hysterical judgemental crap being thrown at you. I'd rather be stuck in a confined place with you than with some of these overperfumed germ-phobics.

Summer I'll always remember my Aunt clutching her flannel and announcing "I'm off for a dirty woman's wash"

'perhaps I am bringing too much of my study into this...I am studying microbiology as part of my degree and it can scare the bejeezus out of you'

thanks - as i have quoted my earlier post, I have admitted that reading stuff can scare/alarm you
I am not studying psychology at all though and i dont think i'm coming down with any diseases at present

I've been enjoying the debate :)

I did try using a flannel to wash my bits before, but it was too rough.
So I went back to knickers.

And after completing my science degree I would be ecstatic to get a job at Dettol!!

I agree with WildThings and ILoveYou.

Kids in Secondary cCience lessons often do that experiment where they wander around the school taking swabs from various places and then checking them for bacteria. I have seen numerous classes do this experiment and the results are always the same: There are far more bacteria on door handles than there are anywhere else, including toilet floors and dustbins. So those of you who are germ-phobic need to wear gloves everywhere, basically. That's the only way to protect yourself.

Can someone please explain how washing oneself with the non-gusset part of yesterday's pants is more likely to give you infections than simply wearing pants for a day? What I mean is....tiny amounts of fecal matter, piss and fanjo secretions are going to get into people's gussets, where it's free to travel to the other bits. TBH, the only time I tend to get thrush is either when I've been doing too much exercise (thong+lycra = bad combo) or when I've accidentally got some soap in my bits. Soap is bad news for the healthy bacteria in your fanjo.

You sound perfect for them Dropdead - best of luck with that.

WhereTheWildThingsWere..... I think I might love you...
Let's you, me and Ariesgirl set up dirty home together with nickelbabe.

Ooops. Science lessons.

Olifin come join us!

Yay! Can we occasionally use items out of the wash basket to mop spillages off the floor?

Ooooh a dirty house, I'm in, shall I bring with me my stack of tea towels, most of which are dd's old terry nappies?

Waste not, want not.

"My hair didn't need washing every day until I started washing it every day. I curse the day I ever decided to start that."

Trust me, my hair doesn't get greasy because I wash it too often. It is because it is very very fine so even a small amount of graese disproportionately affects it. I have the same experience in a drizzle. My hair will look soaking wet and be plastered to my face whilst others just have raindrops in their hair.

i like the idea of dirty home.
can we do not flushing the toilet and also not washign our hands?
(i hate washing my hands - it leaves them dry, and I would much sooner get away with not doing it! )

where, oli, ILYT

Can I join? I've just dried up a cup using the edge of my dressing gown which I'm still wearing because I haven't washed yet.

Yay to not too much hand washing :)

I wash mine after bum-wiping obv but not always after a wee. And rarely before eating.

Yy Olifin and then just do all the washing at 30.

nickelbabe big yay to non-flushing

If it's yellow
Let it mellow
If it's brown
Flush it down

why do we need to bother washign clothes?
can't we just air them on the line?

Come on over limitedperiodonly you would have got more points if you had dried it on yesterdays pants though.

Ooooh, limited that sounds like an ideal initiation to the grubby house. Dressing gowns are very useful indeed.

Wildthings we've told our kids that rhyme :)

'Twill be a happy house, we are all grinning like loons .

bagsy I get to come too - I hardly ever wash my hands and I use hand rails, travel on London Underground - perfectly fit and well as are my DH and DD. Hate the smell of air fresheners, fabric conditioners and highly scented bubble baths.
We've evolved to live with our "secretions" and subsequent bacteria surely, not healthy to get rid of it altogether.

Olifin us too, my Grandma had it pinned up above the loo.

I am gagging and laughing at the same time...!
Each to their own...but I really don't get the not enough time in the morning/it takes too long thing....especially my pubes would take too long to dry..
Knowingly inflicting your unwashed body/bo on others isn't very pleasant....
Of course unknowingly is different....