Bathing in dettol

[Pinkerbells]

So I was chatting to my friend about what we were doing after work, (we work in a restaurant), and she said she was going home to have a dettol bath. I though she was kidding as she has a bug, but no. Turns out she has a 45 minute soak in dettol every night, then changes the water and has a 45 minute bath in 'normal' bathwater. Is this a thing??????? AIBU to think that's so bad for your skin and fufu. Dettol's website (of course) say it's fine, but surely your killing germs bad or good.

Savlon bath and stinging knees-I was forever falling off my bike-rings a HUGE bell! Gravel in my knee was horribly common.

Dettol features largely in fly spray that I make for the horse, extremely effective.

I used to put a cap full in my bath
I loved the smell and it made me feel extra clean, otherwise I just felt scummy from the bath water

I then stopped bathing as it wasn't "clean" enough and took to showering only
I may have OCD

Does anyone remember these racy Badedas ads from the 70's?

I grew up in the 70s. I only had 1 friend who had Dettol baths, she always smelt of it and I didn't like the smell at all, she had lovely skin though. In our house we just had cheap bubble bath or occasionally Fenjal. I still love the smell of that.

Mum used to put fairy liquid in our baths for the bubbles. We were basically feral though so there was a lot of grime to cut through, maybe Dettol wasn't enough for the job!

I must buy a bottle of it to sniff for nostalgia. There's a shop in our local town where you can buy all sorts of 70's favourite household items.

Had a uni friend who astounded us all with her Dettol baths. Using her lab coat as a dressing gown...

Ooh, can I bathe in Zoflora??? Same kind of stuff?!!!!
Zoflora is an entirely different kind of disinfectant and not for bathing in!

Also a child of the 70s/80s and we also had a weekly Dettol bath for all of our scrapes and scratches

Yes, I remember it when I was little. I still do it now if I have blisters on my feet after a hike, or have been gardening and have small abraisons. I also did it after an operation on the advice of a surgeon. Not neat dettol, just a capful in a warm bath.

Bleach baths are another level

It's no different than getting in a swimming pool. They work wonders for eczema.

Dettol baths were the norm if you had, say, nettle stings or scratches from thorns. I used to like the white water, it was a bit of a treat as Mum didn’t approve of Matey (no idea why) and we only got bath salts or bath cubes at Christmas or Birthdays. Badedas and Fenjal were also off limits, but i was eventually allowed to have Aqua Manda oatmeal soap and felt very grown up. Happy days!

I put a capful of dettol in my kids' baths in the summer. The antiseptic is great for all the cuts and scrapes and the dettol smell on their skin actually works as a mosquito deterrent. The mosquitos here are a major problem so anything to stop them getting chomped on!

@Maelstrop I'd love the horse spray recipe please

@EBearhug you can definitely still get liquid TCP, we always have a bottle in the cupboard. It’s great on the teen DSs spots!

I remember the occasional dettol bath as a 70s child, and the butter on burns thing! My dad often recounts the time as a child in the 50s when he got a rusty nail stuck in his leg. Apparently my grandma pulled the nail out and poured neat iodine into the hole. I don’t expect he got much sympathy, she was a miserable woman.

"The smell of dettol, imperial leather soap and vosene shampoo! "

Oh yes. The above. Totally!!

Another one for dettol baths, imperial leather and vosene!

Good for washing the face. Must do it in the morning.

Other 70's soapy smells.....Wrights Coal Tar, sandalwood soap and Pears. Never had a Dettol bath but remember the magic milky effect of Savlon when a friend's mum bathed my grazed knee. I was so envious as a smear of pink Germolene from an ancient tin was the only cure-all on offer in our house.

Just remembered one of my siblings once covered themselves in something sticky and was bathed with Vim! Vim cleaning powder! Dettol must have been a luxury and my mum rummaged under the sink for anything remotely similar. Vim baths anyone?

@Wallywobbles

250ml Avon Skin So Soft
I cap Dettol
1 teaspoon of neem oil, teatree oil, eucalyptus, citronella
Top up to 1 litre with cold water.
Shake before and during use to mix the oils.
Patch test before use

It seems like a lot of oils but my fair skinned pony has never burnt and it seems extremely effective. I use it myself.

I used to do this with children but only when they had been sick or had diarrhea. Certainly not a regular thing, I love the smell though.

Ithe loo roll tap stamping thing

Ummm, that would be a nope from me. Not running from the bog to the bathroom just to put a bad stamp impersonation on a bog roll. Ain't nobody got time for that!

Used to have detol in the bath as a child when I was ill - now do the same to my children if they are ill - they even ask for it if they are feeling under the weather - it’s like some sort of placebo and they feel better after it

@whatnametouse
'they even ask for it if they are feeling under the weather - it’s like some sort of placebo and they feel better after it'

Maybe it's the label, the sword that looks like a cross suggesting Arthur & Excalibur, protection against all bad things.

Hey we need a new superhero DettolWoman or DettolMan to take on the world & sort out all the problems!

Look what I found!

I do dettol baths in summer, clears up grazes and scratches from gardening! And post tummy bugs etc. Great stuff!