If, when, and how do you bathe/shower?

G

Grumpy Ol' Man

Senior Member
Location
Kansas, U.S.
Early years, we had no running water. Baths were on Saturday night. The "tub" was pulled in on the back porch... the unheated back porch. Mom would heat water on the stove for the bath. Kids in first. Mom second. Dad had farmed all week and was the dirtiest so he got in last.
When we moved into a home with running water at age 5, the folks were worried about running the well dry. We bathed more often, but in little water.
Out on my own, I have always wanted to bathe/shower daily... or more... remembering the days we couldn't.

I have to shower each morning to get started. Rise early... usually before 5 a.m. Shave and shower before going out to make my breakfast. Working outside I used to also take a shower every evening. Since retired, don't shower in the evening except when the day has been hot/humid or I've been doing a yard/home project that has resulted in feeling dirty.
The guys I play golf with early a.m. are a mixed bag. A number of them hop out of bed just in time to get to the course. I cannot believe how they can stand themselves not showering in the morning. We were talking about it the other morning. One of the guys said, "Well, you don't get dirty at night so why shower in the morning?" Sheesh! I feel 'grimy' when I get up and can't wait to feel the hot shower water.

So, do most of you "old folk" shower/bathe daily? Weekly? Twice daily? Never? First thing in the morning? Before bed? During a commercial when you're watching The Price is Right?:)
 

I haven't taken a sit down bath in years. A few years ago, I had some plumbing work done and to install a new drain, the plumber removed the drain stop so no water can stay in the tub. I prefer a shower anyway. I take a "full" shower usually on Sunday morning before church. The rest of the week I do what my parents called a PTA wash; shampoo every second or third day, depending on how warm the weather is and how active I am.

This is what the pipes to the bathroom looks like through a hole in the kitchen ceiling:

newplumbing2.jpg
 
I take a shower every night. If I work outside I take one as soon as I come in. Usually I'm out until just before dinner and I can't stand making dinner all sweaty and dirty,let alone eat that way. Once in a great while I like to soak in the tub but have trouble getting down because of my bad knees. I take a couple of bath towels in with me as sort of a cushion that I can lean on as I get in. I wash my hair most every time,it's so short it drys quickly. Mom always said don't go to bed with a wet head. I have know idea why. Not that I would want to because I wouldn't want a damp pillow. I'm sure her reasoning had something to do with getting pneumonia and meeting my maker by morning.
 
debodun said:
I haven't taken a sit down bath in years. A few years ago, I had some plumbing work done and to install a new drain, the plumber removed the drain stop so no water can stay in the tub. I prefer a shower anyway. I take a "full" shower usually on Sunday morning before church. The rest of the week I do what my parents called a PTA wash; shampoo every second or third day, depending on how warm the weather is and how active I am.

This is what the pipes to the bathroom looks like through a hole in the kitchen ceiling:

View attachment 38698
Click to expand...

I'll bite. Why do you have a hole in your kitchen ceiling? And what's a PTA wash?
 
I shower in the AM. I would love to take a long hot bath at night, especially in the wintertime, but with my knees being iffy with arthritis (and my shoulders, too) I'm afraid I might not be able to get out.
 
Every morning and then sometimes again at night. Hair washed every day; I have short thin hair and I look like a clown in the morning before I wash and dry it. I'll take a long soak every couple of months or so, otherwise it's always showers. That bathtub is HARD to get out of when your legs are like spaghetti after a relaxing soak.....

When we're at home, I like long hot showers. When we're living in the RV, it's a lukewarm drool in an upright coffin.

When we lived in Turkey, taking a shower (forget the mere notion of a bath....not gonna happen) involved firing up the wood-burning water heater and then getting an unpredictable drizzle from the shower head. I learned that you could take a really good stand-up bath in the bathtub with a bucket of room temperature water and a tea kettle of water heated up on the bottled-gas stove. The toilet was flushed with a bucket of water, too, so there was always a bucket full on hand.

I really appreciated showers and baths after that.
 
When I walk outside and the neighbors call the EPA on me,

I guess it's time to get out the Brillo pads, The Fels Naptha soap and the RAID

and hop into the shower
 
When and how I bathe is a rather personal question, but I'll participate anyway.

I shower only during months that contain the letter "R".

This leaves out May, June, July, and August, which are the months that I use my Swimming Pool.

Cheers,
HiDesertHal
 

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When I was working I used to shower every morning before work, and again after work depending on what I did that day. Now I shower several times a week, and when needed after working outside or doing dirty chores in the house. I take baths once in awhile, usually in winter months, always with bubble bath and sometimes throw in some Epsom Salts to relax my muscles. :bath:
 
Some of the previous comments are hilarious:

"When we're living in the RV, it's a lukewarm drool in an upright coffin - jujube
"During a commercial when you're watching The Price is Right" - Grumpy ol' Man
"sometimes twice depending on the temperature and funk level" - Robusta
"When I walk outside and the neighbors call the EPA on me, I guess it's time to get out the Brillo pads,
...The Fels Naptha soap and the RAID and hop into the shower" - Falcon
"I shower only during months that contain the letter "R"... - HiDesertHal
And the shower-emoticon - Sunny

 
When I was a kid we had 2 bed rooms, a water closet (tank on top), and a kitchen with a kitchen sink and old soapstone sink.

aebaeb878155325bd65a7f95a1b7e425.jpg


That was where we bathed.
Not to bad for me and my brother not close to our teen years, but not the best for our parents.

Moved to a real house in 1956 when went into the 6th grade with a full bathroom.
 
HiDesertHal said:
When and how I bathe is a rather personal question, but I'll participate anyway.

I shower only during months that contain the letter "R".

This leaves out May, June, July, and August, which are the months that I use my Swimming Pool.

Cheers,
HiDesertHal
Click to expand...
Hey Hal my hubby would love that bike ,he used to have a BMW ..but don't worry we are not going to come and take it for a joy ride ..we live in Australia :giggle:
 
I love soaking in a warm Bath. I'm not really a shower person but I sometimes will take a shower, but I'd rather soak in a warm tub every night before bed.
 
A shower every morning and again if I'm going out in the afternoon or evening.

"Self-respect was difficult enough to maintain at home, especially for a young girl trying to become a woman in a household of men and boys. People have often asked me how we girls managed any privacy in a house with so many boys and no private rooms. It was difficult. We used to bathe with a washcloth from a pan of water. We would first start at our necks and faces and wash down as far as possible. Then we would wash the road dust from our feet and wash up as far as possible. Later, when the boys were out of the room, we would wash 'possible.'" - Dolly Parton
 
We have tubs in all the bathrooms, and I don't think we have used them more than a dozen times in 15 years. I take a good shower every afternoon, after I come in from puttering around outdoors.
 

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