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.

It simply means that some folk didn't have access to internal plumbing or the money to afford to bathe every day. They actually made every effort to keep as clean as possible.

Not particularly. Solid middle class. And, in my case, really bloody poor for a few years. It’s a question of priorities and feeling clean has always been very near the top of my list.

I like(d) keeping clean too but I also respected my parents wishes regarding when we turned the boiler and GCH on.
Loads of working class folk simply weren't able to bathe every day, especially in large families.

I generally only use bubble bath and mild shampoo for DC - occasionally Child's Farm's 'baby wash' on cotton wool pads to tackle extra dirt eg paint on hands and arms etc. I understand bubble bath to be a mild detergent that does the same job as soap (i.e. the molecules stick to dirt molecules and lift it away when washed off).
I usually shower (using soap) but if bathing myself I would only use bubble bath too. None of us smells (and no eczema/skin problems either, touch wood). If she's not smelly I can't imagine what the problem is?

Fortunately during my poverty years I chose where to prioritise my money. I’d rather live on beans on toast than give up my daily bath/shower.

My mum who’s nearly 80 only bathes once a week but has a strip wash in the sink morning and evening, she’s never smells or looks grubby. She won’t entertain a shower.

Good for you.
As I child I wasn't able to choose where my parents spent their money.
You realise that some people, not me thankfully, have/had to live on beans on toast (or worse) and still not bathe every day, right, or are you just that naive?

As I child I wasn't able to choose where my parents spent their money.

Nor was I. My cleanliness habits were ingrained from birth.

Just stop.
Your privilege is showing.

Good god, people really do get uppity about hygiene habits! Shower 10 times a day if you wish but there is nothing wrong with having 3 showers a week and washing yourself at the sink in between. It's the height of petti bourgeoisie to imply that your daily shower routine is the only acceptable way to be clean.

What an ignorantly stupid thing to say.

Cleanliness is next to godliness you know 🙃

What if you’re already on beans and no toast 🧐

Bubble bath IS soap ! I rarely use anything when I shower I just clean with water which is much better for your skin anyway

I am surprised some people ever manage to get out of the shower and live their lives - I mean you must get dirt on you the moment you leave the safety of the running water

Bubble bath definitely isn't soap.

Is has detergent in it? It is designed to clean too not just look pretty.

Bubble bath is primarily designed to lather.

Exactly. At the point someone says something isn't when they first noticed a whiff of someone, it's when they can't tolerate it anymore.

Yes, it’s quite gross.

Basically everyone who doesn't wanna wash their bum for 3-4 days is, no?

You're being unnecessarily pedantic and the one wanting to draw a particularly arbitrary line. Provided you are washing in some form (whether thorough sink and flannel job or a shower) daily after being out in the world surrounded by traffic fumes, cigarette and vape smoke, sweat from walking about all day etc is fresh and clean, there's no need to get pedantic about the number of hours and when your clothes were washed. As I said already proper hygiene involves getting into your clothes when you're clean and wearing some form of underclothes...

And not everyone spends their day "surrounded by traffic fumes, cigarette and vape smoke, sweat from walking about all day"

What should be a very short thread on "this works for me" has become accusing anyone of having a different routine regardless of circumstance, lifestyle, mobiity, physical or mental health, neurodivergence as "gross" "disgusting" and "unhygienic" having never met them, let alone smelt them.

In my book, no matter how clean your knees are, or how much soap you get through, your attitudes stink.

That's not what they've said. You don't have to have a shower -or a bath - to do that.

I was very clearly referencing the posters who have said they shower twice or so a week with no daily scrubs of all the necessary bits in with soap and water and a flannel (and there have been many on this thread!)