# It's OK to smell. **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [October 9, 2011, 3:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-ok-to-smell/599075 "2011-10-09T15:32:46Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![IvoryTowerDenizen](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ivorytowerdenizen/32/17937_2.png) [@IvoryTowerDenizen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/IvoryTowerDenizen)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2011, 11:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-ok-to-smell/599075/41 "2011-10-09T23:12:02Z")
Just please make sure you wash your clothes really often. Frankly, I find a daily shower the best thing about modern plumbing. ---
**Author:** ![Andy\_L](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/c67d28/32.png) [@Andy\_L](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Andy_L)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2011, 11:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-ok-to-smell/599075/42 "2011-10-09T23:16:54Z")
> [@studmuffin](#): > > Showering daily is a waste of resources, it impresses no-one, a couple of times a week max, anyway, the little ladies get real turned on by a whiffy male oxter. > > Am I right or am I right ? :dubious: Am I the only person to imagine Rosey Grier crooning “It’s okay to smell” Context [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KqFuhCfb3Fk](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KqFuhCfb3Fk) ---
**Author:** ![Mahaloth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mahaloth/32/1079_2.png) [@Mahaloth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mahaloth)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2011, 2:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-ok-to-smell/599075/43 "2011-10-10T02:20:09Z")
Studmuffin seems like a very poor imitation of our dear lost Dio. Certainly I’m not the only one to notice his odd posts. ---
**Author:** ![Jackmannii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackmannii/32/311_2.png) [@Jackmannii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackmannii)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2011, 2:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-ok-to-smell/599075/44 "2011-10-10T02:28:30Z")
> [@studmuffin](#): > > Showering daily is a waste of resources, it impresses no-one, a couple of times a week max, anyway, the little ladies get real turned on by a whiffy male oxter. > > Am I right or am I right ? :dubious: It worked for Rasputin. Speaking of which, there is a beer called “Old Rasputin Russian Imperial Stout” which in one set of ratings got a 4.5 out of 5 for smell. Go figure. ---
**Author:** ![Naxos](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/50afbb/32.png) [@Naxos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Naxos)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2011, 2:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-ok-to-smell/599075/45 "2011-10-10T02:33:22Z")
> [@studmuffin](#): > > Am I right or am I right ? :dubious: You are right. Tens of thousands of years of biological evolution prove you right. It’s the vast sea of ignorant drones that you have to deal with — the ones that are convinced only what they perceive is true and nothing else. ---
**Author:** ![Guinastasia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guinastasia/32/5751_2.png) [@Guinastasia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guinastasia)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2011, 2:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-ok-to-smell/599075/46 "2011-10-10T02:47:28Z")
_gags_ If you wanna stink, go ahead. Just stay away from me. I’ll continue taking my daily shower, thank you very much. ---
**Author:** ![not\_what\_you\_d\_expect](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/not_what_you_d_expect/32/3246_2.png) [@not\_what\_you\_d\_expect](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/not_what_you_d_expect)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2011, 2:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-ok-to-smell/599075/47 "2011-10-10T02:48:28Z")
> [@Nostravinci](#): > > Stuff like this is why I call women hypocrites. “I like sweat sometimes… except when I don’t.” Gah! Well, notice I said a good _clean_ sweat. There is a difference between that and lack of showering. I’m sorry I confused you. ---
**Author:** ![Der\_Trihs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/der_trihs/32/233_2.png) [@Der\_Trihs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Der_Trihs)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2011, 2:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-ok-to-smell/599075/48 "2011-10-10T02:52:04Z")
> [@Nostravinci](#): > > Stuff like this is why I call women hypocrites. “I like sweat sometimes… except when I don’t.” Gah! Sometimes I like spaghetti. Sometimes I’m more in the mood for a hamburger. Does that make me a hypocrite? Should I relentlessly eat nothing but spaghetti in the name of moral integrity? ---
**Author:** ![Cat\_Whisperer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cat_whisperer/32/4839_2.png) [@Cat\_Whisperer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Whisperer)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2011, 2:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-ok-to-smell/599075/49 "2011-10-10T02:56:31Z")
> [@Der\_Trihs](#): > > \ Should I relentlessly eat nothing but spaghetti in the name of moral integrity? Probably. ---
**Author:** ![JessMagic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/c0e974/32.png) [@JessMagic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JessMagic)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2011, 3:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-ok-to-smell/599075/50 "2011-10-10T03:05:24Z")
I was ten years old before I lived in a house that had a shower. Up until then, I had a bath every week, or when I got muddy. Not a big deal when you’re a kid. Now I shower every day, often two or three times if I’m swimming or footballing. I don’t take long showers though. Waste of time. I reckon people spend too long in the shower. I once had a girlfriend who showered only every two or three days. She didn’t smell bad. I liked it. We were pretty… ermmm… rampant (sorry to use that word). ---
**Author:** ![anya\_marie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ebca7d/32.png) [@anya\_marie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/anya_marie)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2011, 3:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-ok-to-smell/599075/51 "2011-10-10T03:51:30Z")
I will come right out and admit that I do sometimes skip a day showering. But it’s never been more than that and I can’t imaging the funk coming from a body that hasn’t bathed NOR changed clothes in six weeks. It feels good to be clean. ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2011, 4:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-ok-to-smell/599075/52 "2011-10-10T04:01:52Z")
> [@BigT](#): > > Bathing in a sink They must be very little whores, or have excellent balance. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Guinastasia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guinastasia/32/5751_2.png) [@Guinastasia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guinastasia)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2011, 4:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-ok-to-smell/599075/53 "2011-10-10T04:19:56Z")
> [@JessMagic](#): > > I was ten years old before I lived in a house that had a shower. Up until then, I had a bath every week, or when I got muddy. > > Not a big deal when you’re a kid. But even when I was a kid and we didn’t have a shower, I still took a bath every night. Or do you mean you didn’t even have a regular bath tub either? My grandmother still doesn’t have a shower in her house, just a bathtub. ---
**Author:** ![Ambivalid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/a5b964/32.png) [@Ambivalid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ambivalid)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2011, 5:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-ok-to-smell/599075/54 "2011-10-10T05:18:15Z")
Even in _ **prison** _, you shower three times a week. Bathing once a week is unsanitary. ---
**Author:** ![Farmer\_Jane](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/bbe5ce/32.png) [@Farmer\_Jane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Farmer_Jane)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2011, 7:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-ok-to-smell/599075/55 "2011-10-10T07:23:08Z")
YUCK. I’ve always been the type to shower every morning. SOMETIMES I shower at night and and set my hair (when it’s long) and then take a bath with a shower cap on in the morning…but I don’t even understand people who shower at night and then sleep for 8 hours in and wake up and think…oh hey, I already took a shower! Bleeech. Usually people can tell. ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2011, 7:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-ok-to-smell/599075/56 "2011-10-10T07:29:22Z")
> [@Ambivalid](#): > > Bathing once a week is unsanitary. Needn’t be. _washing_ once a week maybe, but a weekly bath combined with daily washes with flannel and soap and daily changes of clothes needn’t be a problem - depending on the lifestyle of the person - obviously physical labour and exposure to lots of dirt is going to require more rigour. (I bathe/shower at least once a day, with additional washes, BTW, so I’m not defending a personal preference here) ---
**Author:** ![monstro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ba9def/32.png) [@monstro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/monstro)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2011, 12:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-ok-to-smell/599075/57 "2011-10-10T12:30:50Z")
> [@CitizenPained](#): > > YUCK. > > I’ve always been the type to shower every morning. SOMETIMES I shower at night and and set my hair (when it’s long) and then take a bath with a shower cap on in the morning…but I don’t even understand people who shower at night and then sleep for 8 hours in and wake up and think…oh hey, I already took a shower! > > Bleeech. Usually people can tell. Hah! I say the same thing about people who shower in the mornings. I can’t imagine jumping into bed with the day’s crustiness on me. I think it depends if you’re a night sweater. I don’t sweat at night so when I wake up, I don’t feel grimy or dirty. But I do have excretions during the day. Unless I’m just too exhausted to do anything before falling asleep, all of that grime needs to be washed off before I dare get into bed and mess up my sheets. As long as some soap and water is touching your body SOME time during the day, I don’t think anyone will notice. ---
**Author:** ![Jenaroph](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e8c25b/32.png) [@Jenaroph](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jenaroph)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2011, 12:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-ok-to-smell/599075/58 "2011-10-10T12:43:28Z")
> [@Nostravinci](#): > > Stuff like this is why I call women hypocrites. “I like sweat sometimes… except when I don’t.” Gah! > [@not\_what\_you\_d\_expect](#): > > Well, notice I said a good _clean_ sweat. There is a difference between that and lack of showering. I’m sorry I confused you. Yeah, not hypocritical. Fresh sweat = OK, Old manky sweat and never changing your clothes = Not OK. Two entirely different things. “Would you like some birthday cake?” “Yeah!” “Here it is, my birthday was nine weeks ago and it’s been sitting on the counter ever since. I think the cat’s been nibbling on it.” “Uh, no thanks.” “But it’s birthday cake! You hypocrite!” ---
**Author:** ![lieu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/c2a13f/32.png) [@lieu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lieu)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2011, 12:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-ok-to-smell/599075/59 "2011-10-10T12:54:23Z")
I shower two to three times daily, use anti-perspirant and body powder, brush religiously and use mouthwash before going out and normally wear a modest amount of a subtle, marculine cologne. If I’m going to offend anyone I do my best to make sure it’ll be with my personality. ---
**Author:** ![brittekland](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/aeb1de/32.png) [@brittekland](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/brittekland)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2011, 1:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-ok-to-smell/599075/60 "2011-10-10T13:02:05Z")
> [@monstro](#): > > Hah! I say the same thing about people who shower in the mornings. I can’t imagine jumping into bed with the day’s crustiness on me. > > I think it depends if you’re a night sweater. I don’t sweat at night so when I wake up, I don’t feel grimy or dirty. But I do have excretions during the day. Unless I’m just too exhausted to do anything before falling asleep, all of that grime needs to be washed off before I dare get into bed and mess up my sheets. We ought have a thread/poll about washing before going to bed. I personally at least brush my teeth, wash my face, and preferably wash my feet (this make a world of difference how comfy I feel in my bed). Ideally a shower but I only take shower before going to bed if I had a long day out or feel I need one. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-ok-to-smell/599075.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-ok-to-smell/599075.md?page=4)