MIL bathing habits

[Bitesize89]

My in laws come to stay with us pretty frequently and I've noticed over time that mil never bathes when she comes. She can be here 3-4 days without a shower or bath. It recently was revealed that she only ever uses baths and no soap in her bath. This came up after she bagged my DD and didn't use any soap on her and she said well there was bubble bath in the water, I was shocked as I don't think that's a proper way to bathe and she said when she bathes she doesn't use soap and only bubble bath. So not only does she not bathe for days on and but when she bathes she just has a bubble bath and no soap.im really grossed out.

Bubble bath is soap, most are going to have the same ingredients as shower gels.
my elderly mil is the same and she is immaculate! She only showers every 3-4 days, but she cleans herself everyday. Showers can be difficult for her to manage especially an unfamiliar one. She has never smelt bad. I shower once a day because I need too as I’m very active and have a manual job.

Even with central heating and a boiler, folk couldn't always afford to run them enough to have a bath every day. Also, many folk didn't have CH or even decent inside plumbing well into the 80s.

She said she noticed she doesn't bathe after 3/4 days. Regardless, why post it here? It's really no one else's business.

Your mum was very fortunate - that certainly wasn't the norm for working class folks.

Same here. I had a similar background, it wasn't uncommon.

No, not utter nonsense, actual reality.
Your privilege is showing.

Good for them, that doesn't negate that lots of others did.

'I’m not giving myself thrush just to keep you happy love.'

Do you refer to it as "down there" too, 'love'?

BTW no woman should be washing her vagina with soap or any sort of shower gels. The vagina is self cleaning and water is sufficient. You’re much more likely to have a smell there if you are washing it with soap as that can actually encourage bacterial growth by upsetting the natural biome.

If she's and older lady, she may struggle getting in and out of the bath and doesn't want to risk getting stuck or falling whilst staying with you

You have no idea.
My parents were rock bottom poor. In today's terms I'd have been considered to be brought up in poverty and they would have got every benefit going.

No idea how old your MIL is but my in-laws run the sink with water and have a cloth wash because growing up, it was expensive to heat the water every day or fill a tub. My FIL is nearly 90 and from a dirt poor background. Started work aged 7 (totally illegal even back then probably) he has a bath once a week on a Sunday and then a wash at the sink every day. Doesn’t smell. Not even sure he uses deodorant as not seen one in bathroom.

As kids we washed once a week on a Sunday. Get over yourself. It’s not great for baby’s skin to be washed every day as you strip the natural oils.

Everything was cheaper then - that’s what history is.

Wages were also £11 but you could buy a house.

We didn’t have a shower growing up, kids shared bath water on a Sunday and a sink wash in between.

We didn’t live in extreme poverty, we had detached house, Vienetta etc.

But these conversations always descend into ‘I can’t cope with people who don’t live like me’

My grandparents never had central heating or double glazing and we sold their house in 2016! The bath was put in the house in the early 80s as I remember it going in and the shower was a rubber attachment to the taps

Bubble bath is soap!!! If someone needs to scrub their skin with soap in addition to sitting in an bath of soap then it sounds like they are the ones who are filthy and have a hygiene problem!

I actually have a really good idea regarding sanitation, in the UK and some other European countries because I am a sad geek who is quite into social end economic history, but you crack on assuming you know better.
Have a lovely day.

Yes, good point!

What an odd thing to say.

But I take that as you accepting that you don’t need soap on your vagina, vulva or indeed any other ’flaps’ you care to name.

I've not once said that, merely pointing out the reality of life a few decades ago.
If folk don't like that reality, or choose not to accept it because they didn't experience it, then so be it. Some of it stems from privilege. Also, I don't recall 'everything being cheap' when I was growing up, but, as I say, we all have different life experiences.
Have a pleasant day.

I cannot shower at the moment following surgery, and I'm able to have a really thorough strip wash every day and keep perfectly clean. She may be strip washing every day? You don't mention that you have noticed body odour, so she must be managing to keep herself clean. Unless this is a recent change in behaviour I don't see what the issue is?

Why don't some of you know the difference between the vagina and the vulva?

Something else grown women have to be told. Jesus Christ.

Also, to all those saying 'bubble bath is soap', that's not quite true - the lather/bubble aspect is the focus of bubble bath. If anything it's better to skip that and use actual soap/shower gel.

Same in our house and 4 of us kids had to share the water. Far too expensive for fresh water. And a strip wash the rest of the time until we got a shower fitted

That's like saying she doesn't use soap to wash her hair when she uses shampoo. You're not meant to use soap if you have liquid soap in your bath 😅
Do you use soap on your washing up along with washing up liquid?
Bathing every day isn't good for the skin. So long as you keep your intimate area clean there really isn't any problem bathing once a week.
Do some research.

Bubble bath isn't liquid soap. HTH