Do you need one every day?

[GladAllOver]

I was told off at the weekend by someone who said it was wasteful and environmentally irresponsible to have a bath or shower every day. I said she was wrong. AIBU?

You don't have to bath/shower every day, but it's not wasteful to do that if that is what you like to do.

It probably is environmentally irresponsible, but my god, I'd stink if I didn't have a shower once a day.

God, another thing we're meant to feel guilty about. Well, I won't.

OP, I would love to know more about the person who told you that. Does she drive, go on holiday, use central heating, buy new clothes...?

I can't stand not showering or having a bath every morning. But, I'm a sweaty sleeper.

I shower every morning and sometimes even at night but then I do quite a lot of exercise.

I shower once or twice a week and only use soap on areas that need a clean - arms and legs etc don't
I only use solid shampoo, conditioner or soap and shower gels are awful for my skin.
When I was showering every other day I was always itchy and had to be tested for liver disease. It all stopped when I stopped washing as much and then when I stop liquid washing products

This, I don't sweat (even when excercising I sweat very little), I work from home and have horribly dry skin so I shower/bath as little as I can get away with- I shower daily during my period. I don't use a lot of products either, as little as I can.

deodorant

I don't think our ancestors showered daily? Our skin does not need it.

Every day!

I shower everyday because I exercise ergo get sweaty everyday (only wash my hair a few times a week though so they're not long showers just functional ones). Probably have a bath once a fortnight. Plenty of ways to be mindful of wasting water beyond simply how often you need to wash.

This. I only work outside my home once a week. I shower as little as I can as it drys my skin and hair. For me that usually means 3x a week but if I go to the gym I may shower twice in the same day or have a shower then a bath if feeling particularly in pain. I don't tend to get dirty or sweaty when wfh so I very much make a judgement call each day but I don't think daily showers do bodies a huge amount of good in my experience. My hair is so much better now its only washed 1 to 2x a week.

Rubbish clickbait title

I thought this was going to be the Poo Troll

I shower mostly every 2nd day. Sometimes a little more, sometimes a little less.

DH is a cattle farmer, he needs to shower every day!! It's not optional

I must be single-handedly killing the planet, because I need 2 showers a day. Can’t do my day without one, can’t sleep well without the other. YANBU.

I don't know (or care) whether or not it's ideal for my skin or the planet that I shower daily. All I know is that when I skip a day, I don't feel clean and fresh, and my mood is temporarily boosted by that daily shower, so I'm not giving it up unless there's a powerful incentive. It's one of the last 'luxuries' I'd ever sacrifice.

YABU to say she’s wrong. Yes it would be better for the environment if we didn’t shower every day.

But YANBU to say some people need to shower every day. Some do, some don’t. If I’m at home all day with the baby and I’ve not done anything strenuous the day before I may skip a shower in the morning. I don’t tend to sweat much. But sometimes I shower in the morning, and then in the evening if I’ve done sport. There is no hard and fast rule. I also love a bath which is probably terribly wasteful but for me it’s about relaxing and easing sore muscles rather than getting clean

Of course every bath or shower we take has an impact on the environment.

But if we start going around trying to guilt trip people for keeping clean the way they want to, then it just plays into the right-wing 'environmentalists want us to live like the Stone Age' narrative.

There are other more effective and easier lifestyle changes people can make if they wish, e.g. diet, travel, heating.

I don't need to but I won't stop. I enjoy having a bath or a shower. Plenty of things are wasteful, so unless she's living off grid on the bare basics then she shouldn't be throwing stones.

It's unnecessary....you can wash without having a shower or bath and so yes it's wasteful.

40 years ago lots of people still didn't have showers, we bathed once a week. Washed your hair over the basin and used a flannel in between.

Water use has been cut elsewhere but people have more showers than before.
There's a happy medium of ever 2 or 3 days....or just when you need one (not because its the morning and that's your habit)
Of course if you get dirty or sweaty a flannel may not cut it and you may need one every day...but not everyone will.

I have to. I skipped a day when I was unwell and I sweat/smell too much after 1 day. I'd need to use more Deodorant and smelly stuff if I skipped daily showers, which would be bad for the environment anyway!

I think unless you have a medical reason ( and this could include stress / anxiety) a bath a day if you have quite a full bath is a waste of water

A shower a day is fine although some people may not need a daily shower as they are naturally less sweaty

My bum, fanny and armpits need it.

I shower every day. Most people will smell if they don’t wash daily, if you get up close. They’ll say on here that they don’t smell, because their husband and family say they don’t. But they do.

Our ancestors didn’t have indoor toilets but that doesn’t mean I’m about to go a poo in the garden shed!

I shower every day in the summer but not in the winter, unless I've sweated. I have a bidet shower so do wash very well after every wee/poo.

I wash my hair twice a week, over the tub.

When I shower I use very little water as I get wet, switch off the shower and lather up whole body. Then switch on the shower to rinse off.