# Why do some people not bathe?
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-some-people-not-bathe/561224
**Category:** In My Humble Opinion
**Created:** [November 19, 2010, 3:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-some-people-not-bathe/561224 "2010-11-19T15:40:48Z")
**Posts on this page:** 18
**Page:** 3
### Author:  [@pepperlandgirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pepperlandgirl)
#### Post date: [November 20, 2010, 5:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-some-people-not-bathe/561224/41 "2010-11-20T17:54:22Z")
> [@kenobi\_65](#):
>
> I’m just curious…where do you live?
>
> Washing your hands after using the toilet has little to do with your urine being unhygenic (ISTR that urine, itself, is usually sterile when it leaves your body). The issue is in handling your genitals, which _will_ have considerable levels bacteria on them.
What nasty levels of bacteria would you expect to find on your genitals? And how could there be so much that washing your hands after briefly touching them is absolutely required? Would you perform oral sex on somebody without insisting on a bath or at least a wipe-down first?
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### Author:  [@monstro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/monstro)
#### Post date: [November 20, 2010, 6:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-some-people-not-bathe/561224/42 "2010-11-20T18:24:47Z")
I don’t understand multiple showers a day. Unless you’ve been working out or have been sweating all day in the heat, that just seems like overkill.
I also don’t understand people who shower in the morning. I would feel icky sleeping in a day’s worth of dirt. I don’t think I’m an unusually funky person, but over the course of a day my skin accumulates things. My underwear isn’t clean. I just sleep better knowing that I’m not funking up my sheets. And then I can just jump out of bed in the morning without wasting precious sleeptime in the shower.
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### Author:  [@Sunspace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sunspace)
#### Post date: [November 20, 2010, 6:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-some-people-not-bathe/561224/43 "2010-11-20T18:41:28Z")
> [@Zsofia](#):
>
> Whores baths every morning, of course…
‘Whore’s bath’? Do you mean a sponge bath or a wipe-down with a soapy cloth?
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### Author:  [@Eyebrows\_0f\_Doom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eyebrows_0f_Doom)
#### Post date: [November 20, 2010, 6:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-some-people-not-bathe/561224/44 "2010-11-20T18:47:59Z")
> [@ramel](#):
>
> I have a bath once a week. Occasionally I have been known to miss a week.
> Correct me if I’m wrong, but this isn’t the health record of someone being ravaged by filth and disease.
Who said anything about health? If you only take one bath per week, and sometimes not even that, you stink. You could be the healthiest person alive, it won’t make a difference if you smell awful.
> [@](#):
>
> So, what does my constantly being caked in an average of **three whole days worth** of filth do to my health!?!?
If you take one bath per week, that’s \*seven \*days of filth on your body, not three.
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### Author:  [@Zsofia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zsofia)
#### Post date: [November 20, 2010, 6:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-some-people-not-bathe/561224/45 "2010-11-20T18:53:09Z")
> [@Sunspace](#):
>
> ‘Whore’s bath’? Do you mean a sponge bath or a wipe-down with a soapy cloth?
Yeah, you know, you take your washcloth and you give your face, armpits, and hoo-ha a, dare I say, lick and a promise.
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### Author:  [@Sunspace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sunspace)
#### Post date: [November 20, 2010, 7:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-some-people-not-bathe/561224/46 "2010-11-20T19:38:35Z")
> [@Zsofia](#):
>
> Yeah, you know, you take your washcloth and you give your face, armpits, and hoo-ha a, dare I say, lick and a promise.
That’s more-or-less what I thought, but I’d never heard the expression ‘whore’s bath’ before.
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### Author:  [@kapri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kapri)
#### Post date: [November 20, 2010, 8:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-some-people-not-bathe/561224/47 "2010-11-20T20:14:30Z")
I never realized that some adults didn’t shower every day, or almost every day, until I started reading the Dope. In my circle of friends and family, a daily shower is expected–mandatory, even. Sure, sometimes people don’t shower once in a while because they are sick or are having a lazy day at home, but everyone I know showers on average at least once a day.
And I don’t understand what having/not having a cold has to do with it. I shower at least once a day, and I haven’t had a cold in years.
I think people who shower only once or twice a week are fooling themselves that they don’t smell. Nonbathers smell stale at best and horrible and disgusting at worse.
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### Author:  [@kapri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kapri)
#### Post date: [November 20, 2010, 8:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-some-people-not-bathe/561224/48 "2010-11-20T20:15:59Z")
> [@monstro](#):
>
> I don’t understand multiple showers a day. Unless you’ve been working out or have been sweating all day in the heat, that just seems like overkill.
>
> I also don’t understand people who shower in the morning. I would feel icky sleeping in a day’s worth of dirt. I don’t think I’m an unusually funky person, but over the course of a day my skin accumulates things. My underwear isn’t clean. I just sleep better knowing that I’m not funking up my sheets. And then I can just jump out of bed in the morning without wasting precious sleeptime in the shower.
If I shower at night–and I sometimes do–I have another shower in the morning, because I don’t feel clean just getting up and putting on clothes. So to me, showering only at night is icky. Also, I put on clean underwear before I go to bed every night (although lots of people don’t wear any underwear to bed).
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### Author:  [@pepperlandgirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pepperlandgirl)
#### Post date: [November 20, 2010, 8:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-some-people-not-bathe/561224/49 "2010-11-20T20:49:36Z")
> [@kapri](#):
>
> I never realized that some adults didn’t shower every day, or almost every day, until I started reading the Dope. In my circle of friends and family, a daily shower is expected–mandatory, even. Sure, sometimes people don’t shower once in a while because they are sick or are having a lazy day at home, but everyone I know showers on average at least once a day.
Mandatory? How do you punish the non-compliers? How do you know when somebody doesn’t shower? Are you literally sniffing at their armpits and crotch to figure it out?
Kapri: Hey, did you shower today?
Kapri’s Friend: Yeah, this morning, but I had a really long day.
Kapri: Oh ok, just wondering because your hair.
Kapri’s Friend: What about my hair?
Kapri: It looks a bit oily. That’s all. Like that time during finals week when you skipped showering Tuesday.
Kapri’s Friend: It’s not…it’s not oily, is it? I just washed it this morning.
Karpi: This morning. You’re sure? Because if it was last night…I mean, I personally would never shower at night, but if it _was_ last night, we might be able to let it pass this time.
Kapri’s Friend: Dude, I showered this morning like I do every morning. Just like we agreed on. Don’t worry. I haven’t forgotten the contract.
Kapri: I’m not worried, I’m just looking out for ya. You’re a good kid. Take care of that hair, though, all right?
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### Author:  [@Cat\_Whisperer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Whisperer)
#### Post date: [November 20, 2010, 8:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-some-people-not-bathe/561224/50 "2010-11-20T20:55:30Z")
I liked the point where a typo turned **Kapri’s** name into **Karpi**. 😃
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### Author:  [@Cicero](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cicero)
#### Post date: [November 20, 2010, 8:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-some-people-not-bathe/561224/51 "2010-11-20T20:56:44Z")
I feel disgusting if I don’t shower at least once a day.
Once a week? Do you moderate your body functions so you only crap that often as well?
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### Author:  [@Guinastasia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guinastasia)
#### Post date: [November 20, 2010, 9:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-some-people-not-bathe/561224/52 "2010-11-20T21:03:26Z")
I’m with **monstro** in that I prefer showering at night – you have more time in the morning, and it’s easier for me to style my hair when it’s dry. (I use a curling iron – can’t do that with wet hair!)
And when I’m sick, that’s all the more reason to take a shower – the steam opens up my sinuses.
Now this thread is making me want a nice, hot relaxing shower. (All that lovely hot water – I must have been a tropical fish or something in a previous life) 😉
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### Author:  [@kapri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kapri)
#### Post date: [November 20, 2010, 9:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-some-people-not-bathe/561224/53 "2010-11-20T21:03:58Z")
> [@pepperlandgirl](#):
>
> Mandatory? How do you punish the non-compliers? How do you know when somebody doesn’t shower? Are you literally sniffing at their armpits and crotch to figure it out?
>
> Kapri: Hey, did you shower today?
> Kapri’s Friend: Yeah, this morning, but I had a really long day.
> Kapri: Oh ok, just wondering because your hair.
> Kapri’s Friend: What about my hair?
> Kapri: It looks a bit oily. That’s all. Like that time during finals week when you skipped showering Tuesday.
> Kapri’s Friend: It’s not…it’s not oily, is it? I just washed it this morning.
> Karpi: This morning. You’re sure? Because if it was last night…I mean, I personally would never shower at night, but if it _was_ last night, we might be able to let it pass this time.
> Kapri’s Friend: Dude, I showered this morning like I do every morning. Just like we agreed on. Don’t worry. I haven’t forgotten the contract.
> Kapri: I’m not worried, I’m just looking out for ya. You’re a good kid. Take care of that hair, though, all right?
Okay, I guess I don’t mean mandatory, but good scripting there.
Also, I realize that of course there are people in the world who don’t or can’t shower every day for myriad reasons. I just figured if a person **could** shower daily, they would choose to. Most people I know do, and if for some reason they miss a shower, they might make a comment like “Yuck, I overslept and couldn’t shower this morning. Can’t wait to hop in the shower when I get home.”
I tried to edit both of the above in my original posts but alas, 7 minutes had passed, and I hoped no one would notice my sloppy writing/thinking. Silly me.
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### Author:  [@Student\_Driver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Student_Driver)
#### Post date: [November 20, 2010, 9:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-some-people-not-bathe/561224/54 "2010-11-20T21:46:13Z")
I’d imagine there’s a physiological component to personal smells and the need to bathe to control them. My ex-fiancee could go several days without showering/bathing, and she usually smelled fine, though her armpits could get a bit rank if she didn’t wear deodorant/antiperspirant during that time. She could probably go for a week without doing more than the aforementioned “whore’s bath” to care for the armpits. She tended to shower only when she needed to tame her hair; she was born with a beautiful mane that just tended to have a Brigitte Bardot type “bed head” when slept on or tousled, so it didn’t need to be cleaned often.
I, on the other hand, can’t go a day without showering, and I have to reapply deodorant/antiperspirant if I’m going to be out and about beyond 8 hours or so. I certainly can’t re-wear shirts (even if a t-shirt has been worn underneath). My hair is also really fine, so it looks oily/greasy within hours, and will turn into a mess of cowlicks after a nap. Even if I didn’t have to maintain personal hygiene, I’d shower at least once a day just to keep my hair under control. Showering is also really relaxing; it eases my entry into the work day, and eases my entry into sleep.
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### Author:  [@Nzinga\_Seated](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nzinga_Seated)
#### Post date: [November 21, 2010, 12:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-some-people-not-bathe/561224/55 "2010-11-21T00:16:44Z")
> [@kapri](#):
>
> If I shower at night–and I sometimes do–I have another shower in the morning, because I don’t feel clean just getting up and putting on clothes. So to me, showering only at night is icky. Also, I put on clean underwear before I go to bed every night (although lots of people don’t wear any underwear to bed).
You wear a fresh pair of underwear just to sleep in?
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### Author:  [@Peeta\_Mellark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peeta_Mellark)
#### Post date: [November 21, 2010, 1:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-some-people-not-bathe/561224/56 "2010-11-21T01:26:28Z")
One summer I worked at the feed store in town. We had this one guy who’d come in and chat and hang out for a few hours and every time he came in he was dropping clods of cow shit everywhere. He was only unusual in that he hung out for so long, though. Lots of people came in smelling like that, really. Bad breath from rotting teeth, sweat, urine, feces, blood and occasionally rotten milk, depending on what they’d been handling. Nobody ever complained. It wasn’t uncommon to take cash from somebody with a smear of blood or crap on it.
And then there was the day my truck broke down and I had to walk to work. I’d taken a shower that morning and wore deodorant, but couldn’t help sweating.
Five minutes after I showed up, I got pulled into the manager’s office and told that my smell was offending the customers and I couldn’t ever show up to work like that again.
My rambling point? It’s all about what you’re socialized to expect and accept in a particular context. There is no possible way that fifteen minutes worth of fresh sweat on a clean body could smell as bad as literal shit, yet shit was acceptable on a customer and a little bit of sweat on the guy hauling fifty pound bags of feed was not. What one person considers “clean” may not match your expectations, for whatever reason. I can see how somebody could bathe once a week or so and be fine, even if twice-a-day-showering-people might faint at the thought. Personal and cultural tolerances vary. Gasp!
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### Author:  [@Pyper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pyper)
#### Post date: [November 21, 2010, 6:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-some-people-not-bathe/561224/57 "2010-11-21T06:28:46Z")
The father of one of my clients never bathes. I know this because therapy occurs in-home, and dad’s house has no working bath tub and hasn’t for years. The kid only bathes when he stays at his mother’s house. Once, kid and dad went on vacation, and, although they stayed in hotels, kid was returned to mom with instructions to make sure he took a shower, because neither of them had done so the entire trip. I just do not understand the mentality behind this.
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### Author:  [@BellRungBookShut-CandleSnuffed](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BellRungBookShut-CandleSnuffed)
#### Post date: [November 21, 2010, 12:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-some-people-not-bathe/561224/58 "2010-11-21T12:16:07Z")
> [@pepperlandgirl](#):
>
> What nasty levels of bacteria would you expect to find on your genitals? And how could there be so much that washing your hands after briefly touching them is absolutely required? Would you perform oral sex on somebody without insisting on a bath or at least a wipe-down first?
[Cecil’s done this.](http://www.straightdope.com/columns/read/1043/why-are-men-supposed-to-wash-their-hands-after-urination)
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