# What is the longest you have gone without a shower?
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-longest-you-have-gone-without-a-shower/237976
**Category:** In My Humble Opinion
**Created:** [April 2, 2004, 11:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-longest-you-have-gone-without-a-shower/237976 "2004-04-02T23:27:57Z")
**Posts on this page:** 20
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@LVgeogeek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LVgeogeek)
#### Post date: [April 2, 2004, 11:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-longest-you-have-gone-without-a-shower/237976/1 "2004-04-02T23:27:57Z")
…due to a lack of facilities, not just too sick/busy/lazy/whatever to take a shower. I am curious.
Having done my degree in geology, I have spent my fair share of time out doing field projects & camping in the middle of nowhere, sometimes without access to a shower everyday. I was thinking about this the other day and realized that the longest I had gone without a shower was 5 days, this was when I was doing a field project in NW Utah, near the Idaho border. My Husbands longest time w/o a shower was 6 days, also doing field work. I have met people who were in the same geo program as me and they were horrified at the prospect of not getting a shower everyday… well, for the record I do not like going w/o a shower- but sometimes you have to.
What are your experiences with this??
---
### Author:  [@overlyverbose](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/overlyverbose)
#### Post date: [April 2, 2004, 11:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-longest-you-have-gone-without-a-shower/237976/2 "2004-04-02T23:46:26Z")
I’ve gone without a shower for 6 days. I used to work in the field as an archaeologist in the Sandia Mountains in New Mexico. We hadn’t rented a house yet, so we lived in our tents and showered about once a week at the truck stop at the bottom of the hills. Albequerque wasn’t exactly that far away, but we only had the two trucks and a ton of people. I felt like I had permanent dirt lines around my ankles. But boy, I’ve never appreciated showers as much as I did after that summer.
---
### Author:  [@noname](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/noname)
#### Post date: [April 3, 2004, 12:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-longest-you-have-gone-without-a-shower/237976/3 "2004-04-03T00:04:26Z")
I went without a bath for nearly two monts. Reason? I was just plain lazy. And others didnt seem to be complaining about any stench. Finally had to take a bath cos started developing raches all over the body. :eek:
---
### Author:  [@InTransit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/InTransit)
#### Post date: [April 3, 2004, 12:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-longest-you-have-gone-without-a-shower/237976/4 "2004-04-03T00:06:39Z")
4 days, out backpacking in the middle of nowhere. And I tell ya, that first shower was heaven sent! Not to mention the shock/relief of watching all the dirt wash from my skin. (“You mean it wasn’t a tan?”)
---
### Author:  [@Omnipresent](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Omnipresent)
#### Post date: [April 3, 2004, 12:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-longest-you-have-gone-without-a-shower/237976/5 "2004-04-03T00:09:46Z")
I believe 3-4 days.
That first shower after that amount of time is almost better than sex.
---
### Author:  [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)
#### Post date: [April 3, 2004, 12:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-longest-you-have-gone-without-a-shower/237976/6 "2004-04-03T00:12:51Z")
I’ve gone over a week without a shower several times during extended camping trips and the like. For that matter, traveling in Europe one summer, I think I went close to a month without a shower. Of course in Europe, no-one noticed! 😃 I did, however, go swimming regularly, so that really doesn’t count.
---
### Author:  [@bughunter](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bughunter)
#### Post date: [April 3, 2004, 12:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-longest-you-have-gone-without-a-shower/237976/7 "2004-04-03T00:14:51Z")
I’d say several months… I wasn’t counting, so I couldn’t say for sure.
I came home from a trip one time to discover my gas had been turned off because the idiot who used the garage underneath my apartment to work on his MG had forgotten to clamp off the fuel line after working on the tank, and gasoline leaked, filling the garage with vapors.
At least I give him credit for knowing an extremely hazardous situation when he encountered one and turning off the gas main. But the Gas Co. required an inspection before restoring service, and my apartment was such a sty, I didn’t want anyone in there.
I’m serious… it was bad. If I had had a kid or a pet I would have been guilty of a felony.
Anyway, that meant no hot water. For months at a time, I would rely on sponge baths using moist towelettes, only getting a chance to wash my hair when I had an excuse to stay in a hotel. It took me over a year to remember that I had an unused gym membership and could use the shower facilities there.
That period of my life reminds me of a quote from The X-files’ Fox Mulder, “Bachelor apartments are like bear caves. But with furniture.”
(FWIW, I’m married now… and have become civilized.)
---
### Author:  [@Bear\_Nenno](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bear_Nenno)
#### Post date: [April 3, 2004, 12:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-longest-you-have-gone-without-a-shower/237976/8 "2004-04-03T00:15:23Z")
28 Days. Unless you count being out in a lot of freezing rain, jumping in frozen muddy water, or crossing freezing creeks…
---
### Author:  [@Rhum\_Runner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rhum_Runner)
#### Post date: [April 3, 2004, 12:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-longest-you-have-gone-without-a-shower/237976/9 "2004-04-03T00:23:28Z")
About 14 days, give or take. I was on a sail boat in the N. atlantic with no hot water and salt water showers. The water temp was about 40 degrees, so we didn’t shower.
---
### Author:  [@Shade](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shade)
#### Post date: [April 3, 2004, 12:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-longest-you-have-gone-without-a-shower/237976/10 "2004-04-03T00:27:13Z")
About 18 months… What? Without a bath OR a shower? Probably a couiple of days.
---
### Author:  [@Bippy\_the\_Beardless](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bippy_the_Beardless)
#### Post date: [April 3, 2004, 12:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-longest-you-have-gone-without-a-shower/237976/11 "2004-04-03T00:29:52Z")
> [@noname](#):
>
> Finally had to take a bath cos started developing raches all over the body. :eek:
Was that typo rashes or roaches :eek:
---
### Author:  [@HDS](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HDS)
#### Post date: [April 3, 2004, 12:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-longest-you-have-gone-without-a-shower/237976/12 "2004-04-03T00:38:59Z")
Probably a week or two, in college. My boyfriend and I were into the smelly unwashed jazz musician thing. What the heck was I thinking? I remember going home to visit my mom and her telling me, “you smell bad. You smell _really_ bad. You need a shower right now.”
---
### Author:  [@jastu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jastu)
#### Post date: [April 3, 2004, 12:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-longest-you-have-gone-without-a-shower/237976/13 "2004-04-03T00:41:31Z")
Three weeks is the longest I can recall but there have been many times while travelling when a shower was not available, made sure I washed every day though. Always managed to find a stream, wash room or used water I had on hand.
---
### Author:  [@CaptBushido](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CaptBushido)
#### Post date: [April 3, 2004, 12:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-longest-you-have-gone-without-a-shower/237976/14 "2004-04-03T00:50:39Z")
A week or two, I think. Sadly enough, simply because of the lazy/busy thing. I didn’t THINK I smelled bad at all, and I asked other people directly, “Do I smell?” (I didn’t advertise the fact that I was neglecting my hygeine) and they would simply say “No, why would you?”
So apparently I am an almost 20 year old male who produces little or no body odor. :eek:
Should I see a doctor about that?
I still don’t make a habit of skipping showers, though, because when I do I tend to develop nasty zits on my chest and arms. (hey, if you clicked on this thread expecting anything less than TMI, then you are a fool)
---
### Author:  [@sunfish](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sunfish)
#### Post date: [April 3, 2004, 1:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-longest-you-have-gone-without-a-shower/237976/15 "2004-04-03T01:00:13Z")
I’ve gone about a week between showers because I was out in the back of beyond doing field work, also for my geology degree. I had to bring all my drinking water out with me and there really weren’t any other water sources available. A fresh change of clothes every day really helped to keep the skeevy feeling in check, but oddly enough I just couldn’t stay warm if I wasn’t showered - kind of a nuisance when it’s not warmer than about 60 deg F during the day and down around freezing at night.
So whenever I got back to civilization (i.e., the nearest campground with a shower block), I would stand under blazing hot water for about 45 minutes, just to get warm again. I got all sorts of weird looks for turning the women’s shower block into a sauna, but I’m especially proud of the day I showered so long there was steam pouring out through the windows. 😃
---
### Author:  [@Low\_Key\_1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Low_Key_1)
#### Post date: [April 3, 2004, 1:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-longest-you-have-gone-without-a-shower/237976/16 "2004-04-03T01:13:38Z")
I guess around 10 days or so for me… When I did my national service for a year. Out on our final training mission thing. I think it was 10days, maybe 2weeks though. A shower in a lousy locker room area and a bed that was generally not considered comfortable never felt so nice…
---
### Author:  [@LVgeogeek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LVgeogeek)
#### Post date: [April 3, 2004, 1:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-longest-you-have-gone-without-a-shower/237976/17 "2004-04-03T01:16:04Z")
Yeah, that first shower after not having one in a while is _ **so** _ nice. I no longer take everday showers for granted anymore after dealing with field camp and long ass field trips. 🙂
> [@InTransit](#):
>
> Not to mention the shock/relief of watching all the dirt wash from my skin. (“You mean it wasn’t a tan?”)
watching that “tan” go down the drain is somewhat of a dissapointment 😉
> [@sunfish](#):
>
> A fresh change of clothes every day really helped to keep the skeevy feeling in check
amen to that! 😃
---
### Author:  [@Hanna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hanna)
#### Post date: [April 3, 2004, 1:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-longest-you-have-gone-without-a-shower/237976/18 "2004-04-03T01:20:02Z")
OMG - I’m a geology major. I am just starting out though, so no field work yet. I am very shower dependant, what am I going to do? Do you at least get water for brushing your teeth and washing your face? I wish I wasn’t such a girly girl. ☹
2 days is probably the longest for me (so far). My scalp gets unbearingly itchy if I go longer, drives me nuts.
---
### Author:  [@emekthian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/emekthian)
#### Post date: [April 3, 2004, 1:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-longest-you-have-gone-without-a-shower/237976/19 "2004-04-03T01:39:28Z")
About 8 years.
I took baths instead of showers until about when I turned 8.
The longest I’ve gone without bathing of any kind is 9 days. I don’t shower every day (because I just don’t get that dirty), and I took a shower three days before I left on a weeklong summer camp trip.
And I still didn’t smell that bad at the end of it!
---
### Author:  [@sunfish](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sunfish)
#### Post date: [April 3, 2004, 1:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-longest-you-have-gone-without-a-shower/237976/20 "2004-04-03T01:46:44Z")
It really depends where you end up doing your field work, **Boscibo**. I was working in a dry region for my dissertation, hence having to bring my own water and not having any reliable local supplies. I’ve also worked in places where for safety’s sake I had to stay in a motel rather than camp out, in which case a daily shower is no longer a problem.
When I was out in the bush, I had three 25-liter jerry cans of drinkable water with me to last the week. Washing my face and hands and brushing my teeth daily were no problem at all. On a few occasions when I was feeling especially grimy, I would heat about a half bucket’s worth of water to wash my hair and give myself a “sponge bath” of sorts. The main drawback was that it was damn cold in the mornings and evenings to be going about with wet hair, since I didn’t have a hair dryer that would plug into the cigarette lighter of my truck. 😉
I’m with you on the itchy scalp thing, but honestly I was more embarrassed by the disreputable look I’d acquire by the end of the week… my hat became my most treasured possession. 😃 I have to add, too, that dealing with infrequent washing was much easier with short hair. In a pinch, you can sprinkle some corn starch into your hair - it does help.
[Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-longest-you-have-gone-without-a-shower/237976.md?page=2)