AIBU to think not washing feet and groin is minging?

[madmomma]

Was discussing personal hygiene with a few friends recently (odd I know) and I found out that none of my friends wash their feet when they shower or bath, because they feel that a soak in bubble bathy water or the suds from shampoo trickling down is adequate. I think this is minging, and physically soap each foot in every shower or bath. I thought everyone did this. I also thought everyone washed their groin with either soap, bodywash or whatever, but my friends were saying they just use water. I can understand not wanting to use perfumed stuff down there, but surely plain soap or something? I would find it so odd to have a shower without using soap on groin or feet. Am I weird or are they?

Yeah people do misunderstand the groin and use it as a catchall for 'in between leg' area. Bit like this thread. When asking someone to do an MRSA swab I always do a hand motion so they don't try to swipe it through their bits.

Just do the bit where your leg joins your body

Shower each day, just use water (or prescription shower wash), bad eczema - guarantee no hygiene issues - because I am a bit phobic about that.

Do tend to have the water borderline scalding though,

Occasional bath with bleach added, per dermatologist.

Er, "each foot"?? How many feet do you have, OP?

I would definitely soap feet, groin, armpits.

I scrub each square cm with a body puff and anti-bac face or hand wash.

I like to get out the bath feeling cleaner than wot I got in.

Sorry if this is too nitty gritty - but when folk are talking about being a soap washer/not soap washer down there, what sort of wash are you doing?

I always use shower gel but i just rub my sudsy hand briefly down and under - across the outer bits and high inner thigh ect - and back up again. I never poke fingers in and specifically around my inner flaps or up inside though ... so do i count as a soap washer down there or not? (I never get thrush and i don't smell as far as i know).

Shower gel all over for me, including undercarriage. Oh, and I throw my shower poufs in the washing machine regularly - and they're always hung to dry between uses.

I'm a thrush and cystitis sufferer but thrush only arrives if I've taken anti-biotics for something, or - as I discovered many years ago, if I allow tampons to dry me out.

I started using KY on the tips of tampons at the beginning/end of a period when the flow would be temperamental and haven't had a bout since. Even after anti-biotics.

I've come to the logical conclusion that shower gel does not cause problems for me, but we're all different.

Feet are a must, sorry. We can't see all the flora and fauna blooming over our skin and I'd feel unclean if I didn't wash skin that has the potential to sweat a lot properly. I used to work in a small hospital and regularly saw cases of really bad fungal infections where the legs would be covered to the groin that started with mild Athlete's Foot. I understand that washing alone won't kill the fungus, but careful washing AND drying goes a long way to helping prevent it.

I remember watching one of those doctor programmes a while back and they tested digs shared by four blokes. They were swabbed in various places and they ALL had faecal matter on their Achille's tendons.

Do the people who don't wash their feet also not clean their showers/baths under the same train of thinking that running water does the job? Or not run an occasional hot wash to get rid of bacteria in their washing machines?

I'm definitely not one of those OCD clean-freaks, but ew. Basic body and home cleanliness is a must, sorry.

I thought daily washing with bleach and zoflora was the holy grail on MN?

I don't shower ever. But I bath every other day and everything gets soaped (well, mild body wash stuff) and washed properly. Especially my feet as I'm barefoot a lot of the time. I do rinse very thoroughly though with clean water, though.

BTW what's this with "groin"? Do you mean vulva? And arse?

Groins are essentially legpits. Mine have been felt by doctors a few times over the years. They swelled up like a gremlin turning bad when I had glandular fever.

I xposted with tigermoll.

What she asked

Eponas - yeah, that's what I consider a wash. No scrubbing like a madwoman and certainly no poking soapy fingers up anywhere.

shatners that is the best thing ever. Legpits. I love it. I am now using that.

eh what topcat your dermatologist told you to put bleach in your bath???
please explain

It sounds ridiculous but it is a recommendation for some people with skin infections, dermatitis, eczema..

Ah, legpits. They do not smell as bad as armpits, though. I don't specifically clean those with soap, either, though I suppose it is harmless enough.

@ EponasWildDaughter: As long as you only touch the, um, normal skin with soapy hands, I would think you don't count as soap washer. It is the ... how is this called in English ... slimy skin that needs to be kept away from soap.

GraysAnalogy that is interesting cos the nurse said 'groin or perineum' and I know where my perineum is all right and it's not leg pits.

Three good squirts of normal 'thin' household bleach in to a normal sized bath. Helps to kill all the bacteria on the surface of the skin.

Sounds drastic, but in reality just like a swimming pool.

It is common in USA, but not generally mentioned in the UK as the general public are deemed too thick to cope, I presume.

Yeah sabine they can obtain MRSA swabs from both of those areas. Groin OR perineum. In my trust though perineum swabs are slightly different to the groin and nose ones though so people aren't given the option

Why would you want to kill all the bacteria on your skin?

It doesn't really matter how far inbetween you do go as they're areas where it would colonise anyway, I only say it so they're not struggling sticking a cotton bud right beside their fanjos.

I don't wash my feet unless I've just been for a run (=muddy) - I always shower, so apart from the total unnecessaryness of washing feet that enjoy a good gush of soapy water, if I soaped them I'd slip and brain myself! My feet are clean and don't whiff. YABU

@palomb - if you have bad eczema the protective layer of skin is broken - and bacteria then pass through these gaps and cause infections over the entire body.

Getting rid of them helps to bring the irritation down.

I wash each foot with soap/shower gel and every couple of days give them a scrub with a scratch mitt.
I use non-scented soap elsewhere.

Clean feet are important, how can you clean between toes and remove dry skin if you just soak them? Urgh.

Gosh I'm with you Op

Some people have some erm odd habits

Bleach in the bath

Dear God

Soap all over - the pubes will get soaped but not the undercarriage. A good wash with a wet flannel but no soap, it causes thrush.
I used to assume feet got clean just by being in the general bath and shower area then twigged one day that they do actually need a bit of a rub, so I agree with you there.