# What Happens to People Who Don't Bathe? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [June 13, 2012, 2:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happens-to-people-who-dont-bathe/625016 "2012-06-13T14:23:09Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2012, 8:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happens-to-people-who-dont-bathe/625016/21 "2012-06-13T20:14:05Z")
> [@Zsofia](#): > > They come to the library. Is this a jab at homeless people, a pop-culture reference I’m missing, or something else? ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2012, 8:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happens-to-people-who-dont-bathe/625016/22 "2012-06-13T20:25:21Z")
> [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](#): > > Is this a jab at homeless people, a pop-culture reference I’m missing, or something else? I took it as an honest observation. ---
**Author:** ![KneadToKnow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kneadtoknow/32/3999_2.png) [@KneadToKnow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KneadToKnow)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2012, 8:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happens-to-people-who-dont-bathe/625016/23 "2012-06-13T20:29:38Z")
> [@kayaker](#): > > I took it as an honest observation. Same here. ---
**Author:** ![Lynn\_Bodoni](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e47c2d/32.png) [@Lynn\_Bodoni](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lynn_Bodoni)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2012, 8:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happens-to-people-who-dont-bathe/625016/24 "2012-06-13T20:48:54Z")
> [@Zsofia](#): > > They come to the library. > [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](#): > > Is this a jab at homeless people, a pop-culture reference I’m missing, or something else? I think this is based on personal experience. Some libraries, especially ones in the inner city, seem to be mostly used by people who want to be out of the weather, rather than by people who want to use the materials. ---
**Author:** ![Kenm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/bc79bd/32.png) [@Kenm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kenm)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2012, 8:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happens-to-people-who-dont-bathe/625016/25 "2012-06-13T20:57:46Z")
> [@Hockey\_Monkey](#): > > They are less prone to get sick because their immune systems had the exposures needed to form immunity for most things they come in contact with. That’s why life expectancy was so high during the Middle Ages. ---
**Author:** ![Gary\_T](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/3ec8ea/32.png) [@Gary\_T](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gary_T)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2012, 9:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happens-to-people-who-dont-bathe/625016/26 "2012-06-13T21:15:42Z")
> [@Kenm](#): > > That’s why life expectancy was so high during the Middle Ages. There were a few factors beside personal cleanliness that had an affect on that. ---
**Author:** ![alice\_in\_wonderland](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alice_in_wonderland/32/176_2.png) [@alice\_in\_wonderland](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/alice_in_wonderland)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2012, 9:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happens-to-people-who-dont-bathe/625016/27 "2012-06-13T21:36:59Z")
> [@emmaliminal](#): > > My husband and I got into a polite argument on this very subject a couple of days ago – he observed that when I bathe our two-year old, which happens every night as part of The Bedtime Routine, while I dump lots of water over him (which he loves), I use soap only on his butt and privates most days, with soap elsewhere only either when there’s visible schmutz or about once a week, whichever comes first. Husband was worried this would be a health threat, imagining that disease bacteria would grow out of control on an unwashed boy. Well, I’m sure your husband would find this absolutely gag worthy, but generally Junior, who’s almost 2, only gets a full on bath once or twice a week. He has very dry excema prone skin and his doctor advised not to full on submerge him all that often. So he gets a full wipe down in the junkal region with every diaper change, and a full body wipe down (i.e. pits, feet, rump) daily. He also brushes his teeth twice a day. However, full on bath with shampoo and full body sudsing only happens on Sundays (always) and usually one night during the week if he’s been playing particularly hard. FWIW, his skin is lovely and he’s in perfect health. ---
**Author:** ![gunnergoz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e95f7d/32.png) [@gunnergoz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gunnergoz)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2012, 9:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happens-to-people-who-dont-bathe/625016/28 "2012-06-13T21:49:20Z")
It is traditional among some families in my wife’s culture to bathe baby girls in milk until they are two. It is said to give them beautiful complexions. Can’t say it hurt my wife because at 55 she’s still got flawless skin. ---
**Author:** ![Trinopus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/2bfe46/32.png) [@Trinopus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Trinopus)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2012, 10:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happens-to-people-who-dont-bathe/625016/29 "2012-06-13T22:25:40Z")
Back in the 1920’s, members of my family thought that going for a week without bathing would be fatal. One uncle chose to prove them wrong, and went a full month without bathing. He was not thanked for his efforts, but the spirit of fighting ignorance was properly defended. ---
**Author:** ![Napier](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/ce73a5/32.png) [@Napier](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Napier)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2012, 11:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happens-to-people-who-dont-bathe/625016/30 "2012-06-13T23:08:30Z")
Look, we evolved without showers. In a few days you stop getting dirtier. If you work hard and sweat is dripping off you, you wind up not really all that dirty, certainly clean enough for happy skin. The idea that armpits should be odorless is misleading. I have way more trouble with other people’s perfumes than with their body odors. Granted, breath can be pretty ugly… ---
**Author:** ![friedo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/8edcca/32.png) [@friedo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/friedo)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2012, 11:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happens-to-people-who-dont-bathe/625016/31 "2012-06-13T23:13:05Z")
> [@Napier](#): > > Look, we evolved without showers. We evolved close to water. ---
**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:** [June 13, 2012, 11:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happens-to-people-who-dont-bathe/625016/32 "2012-06-13T23:14:21Z")
> [@CalMeacham](#): > > That said, I’ve heard people who lived in wilderness areas say that our tendency to wash thoroughly so often is unnecessary. I suspect that I would be a great deal greasier if I lived that way (my hair sems to require washing everey other day at the outside if I don’t want it to get palpably greasy), but maybe not unhealthy. I recall an argument being mentioned here a while back that some people claim that constantly washing with soap makes your skin and hair greasier, because the body is trying to compensate for the lost oils scrubbed away by the soap. They claim that if you wash with just water for a while the greasiness will go away as the body stops doing that. I’ve no idea if anyone has scientifically tested that claim, though it’s not silly on the face of it at least. ---
**Author:** ![Washoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/ecae2f/32.png) [@Washoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Washoe)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2012, 11:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happens-to-people-who-dont-bathe/625016/33 "2012-06-13T23:14:43Z")
Diane Keaton’s character Sonja summed it up beautifully in Woody Allen’s _Love and Death_ when she told Father Andre that “Boris is trying to commit suicide. Last week he contemplated killing himself by inhaling next to an Armenian.” ---
**Author:** ![Yllaria](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yllaria/32/3452_2.png) [@Yllaria](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yllaria)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2012, 11:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happens-to-people-who-dont-bathe/625016/34 "2012-06-13T23:18:39Z")
> [@Heracles](#): > > . . . On a SciAm podcast a few years back, there was a lady talking about the cleanliness of astronauts. She said clothing played a large role in scraping away the dead skin and absorbing the various humors, thus keeping the body clean (and the clothes filthy). > > This would suggest that, among non-bathers, there’s a big difference between nudists and non-nudists. That might have been Mary Roach, author of Packing For Mars. At least that’s where I ran across the same idea. ---
**Author:** ![keepmyheadintheclouds](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/da6949/32.png) [@keepmyheadintheclouds](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/keepmyheadintheclouds)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2012, 12:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happens-to-people-who-dont-bathe/625016/35 "2012-06-14T00:02:08Z")
I shower daily with water but never use soap, unless I have been outside for a few days (i.e. camping). I shampoo my hair about once a week. I use deodorant on my armpits. I am a male, 25. My skin is in good shape. It is soft and not oily. I rarely get a pimple but it happens from time to time. My hair doesn’t get very greasy. Also, I rarely get sick. I catch a minor cold about once per year, and by minor I mean that it doesn’t affect any of my activities all that much. Doesn’t cause me to miss work, etc. Soap is useless. It’s the water that’s key. (EDIT—well, not useless, but I don’t think it’s necessary for most people to use soap excessively as they do right now in the U.S… we don’t get dirty enough.) ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2012, 1:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happens-to-people-who-dont-bathe/625016/36 "2012-06-14T01:30:57Z")
> [@gunnergoz](#): > > It is traditional among some families in my wife’s culture to bathe baby girls in milk until they are two. It is said to give them beautiful complexions. Can’t say it hurt my wife because at 55 she’s still got flawless skin. Pasteurized? ---
**Author:** ![Napier](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/ce73a5/32.png) [@Napier](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Napier)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2012, 3:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happens-to-people-who-dont-bathe/625016/37 "2012-06-14T03:27:36Z")
> [@friedo](#): > > We evolved close to water. I thought it was more grassy plains and rift valley, not a great density of bathing opportunities. What was it like? How often did life 10,000 to 50,000 years ago support getting wet? ---
**Author:** ![Gary\_T](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/3ec8ea/32.png) [@Gary\_T](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gary_T)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2012, 4:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happens-to-people-who-dont-bathe/625016/38 "2012-06-14T04:11:29Z")
> [@kayaker](#): > > Pasteurized? No, just up to my neck. Well, someone had to say it. ---
**Author:** ![GIGObuster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gigobuster/32/421_2.png) [@GIGObuster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GIGObuster)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2012, 4:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happens-to-people-who-dont-bathe/625016/39 "2012-06-14T04:46:22Z")
> [@Napier](#): > > I thought it was more grassy plains and rift valley, not a great density of bathing opportunities. What was it like? How often did life 10,000 to 50,000 years ago support getting wet? FWIW I do remember very early examples of man made structures that were made in coastal areas, the trash left showed that seafood was one important staple for prehistoric man. > **[PREHISTORIC SHELLFISH GATHERING](http://www.manandmollusc.net/history_food.html)** And women. ---
**Author:** ![Toxylon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/f05b48/32.png) [@Toxylon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Toxylon)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2012, 10:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happens-to-people-who-dont-bathe/625016/40 "2012-06-14T10:45:18Z")
> [@ralph124c](#): > > -the Inuit: outside of sweat baths, its hard to bathe if you live in a land of snow and ice Reportedly, the stiff deer hair in Inuit (and other Arctic peoples’) fur parkas would do a good job of brushing off dead skin cells and accompanying dirt, just by being worn against the bare skin. Having some experience with fur parkas, I have no trouble believing this. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happens-to-people-who-dont-bathe/625016.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happens-to-people-who-dont-bathe/625016.md?page=3)