Washing, then and now

The only time I might shower twice a day is when I am in Australia and it is very hot and humid.

Is it necessary to wash towels on a very hot programme? DH says yes, and teatowels and sheets as apparently bacteria don't get destroyed at less than 60C.
Then of course, we may have more bacteria than other people

When I was at school blouses were worn for two days, cardigans washed if they looked dirty and gymslips had to go to the dry-cleaners at the end of term. Clean knickers and socks every day though! (I remember my mother telling me in a shocked tone that 'next door' lady said that they only changed their knickers once a week!).

Lots of young children suffer from eczéma these days, due to over washing with strong anti-bactérial soaps, etc. And lot of allergies too- we are all far too clean these days...

TriciaF, I certainly remember, as a child in the fifties, goose fat being saved to be smeared on the chest as a remedy for chest complaints - it was thought to keep the cold (temperature) away from the skin. (I similarly use a good coating of Vaseline on my hands when I am fishing in the winter under latex gloves and it does keep my hands warmer, if not warm). I never remember anyone being stitched into their underclothes, although my father, who was born in 1904, said people used to do it when he was a child. As a child, I had a bath and hair wash once a week. Like many others, we had no bathroom. My mother used to wash bed linen and light linens at the beginning of the week, heating water in a "copper" and doing everything by hand before she got that wonder of wonders, a washing machine!

I heard somewhere that a daily bath or shower stripped the skin of natural oils. I now have a use for all those body lotions that appear in Christmas gift packs!

Although we use the Eco wash on the machine, it does it good to have a hot blast from time to time. Flushes through the pipes! Same with the dishwasher. X

Underwear every day, everything else every two days if still clean enough to wear for two days (messy eater here!). I find it hard to bend to change the bed so do it all on a rolling system. Pillowcases one day, undersheet the next, duvet cover the next and on to the next bed on a rotation. Handtowels every other day, bath towels once a week. Teatoels every day. It works out usually at a load a day for tow of us, with an extra one at weekends for all DBH's sporting clothes.

I wash most things at 30C- bedding at 40C and towels, with dishcloths and teatowels at 60C.

TriciaF, not an urban myth. My father said they were sewn into flannel vests after application of goose fat. Fairly typical for later years in the pit villages too.

I do not think it necessary to wash towels on a hot programme. I wash everything on 40 degrees. I found that the machine smelled if I used 30 degrees frequently so I stopped using that programme.

At the grammar school I had two white shirts which were washed at the weekend, I didn't have enough white socks to change them every day and I think my attractive navy knickers were worn for a couple of days at a time.My skirt and pullover were washed at the end of term unless something dire had happened to them earlier. Worst of all were the shorts and white Tshirt that lived in a smelly bag with my plimsolls and got washed once a term! Everyone else seemed to be the same. The ones with a washing machine at home washed more often, but mother's who had to cart the washing down to the launderette washed as little as possible.

Is it necessary to wash towels on a very hot programme?

You go in the shower, come out nice and clean and dry yourself. Surely 30 degrees is OK?

he stared ...

Just read your post to DH- and I just starred and just said 'WHY'???

This is not meant to be a criticisim, but the mind truly boggles.

Blimey, Charliegirl- I understand the frustrations of boarding school- but the other extreme is just... extreme. Imagine what would happen to water and electricity consumption if that became the norm???

Our youngest washes her trainers regularly- when dry she always stores them between wears with one of those 'comfort' type sheets you put in the tumble dryer- works really well.

I appear to wash for my local town- I have the w/machine on daily, sometimes x2 a day and I live on my own! The only thing that I wear twice is a cardigan or a jumper- everything else is in the wash daily, including my nightdress. Bed linen is changed weekly and I sometimes change my bottom sheet x3 during the week.

I was at boarding school and we had a bath x2 a week if there was hot water. Hair fortnightly- girls came from a local salon to wash and dry our hair. I had very greasy hair so looked a sight after 3 days. Bed linen was changed fortnightly, one sheet at a time. Underwear weekly with a blouse. The sports blouse, worn daily was changed weekly. The Sunday blouse was changed monthly. There was a roll on deodorant available but it did not work for me. That is why I have gone to the extreme I think.

My mother used to moan about all of the grey clothes and bedding which came home once a year.

I'm sure my personal hygiene took a vast step up when I discovered girls

does anyone know why? when washing GS trainers/football trainers, they always stink of cat pee I have tried letting them dry natural, or in the sun (in summer of course) or on radiator..but nope doesn't matter how they are washed n dried they end up being thrown because we cant get rid of the cat pee smell..(embarrassing when he takes them off in his friends house) (they havnt got a cat) !

As a teenager, I think I changed my school blouse every other day. Cardigans and skirts washed every couple of weeks. Bedding about once a month. Goodness knows how often towels were washed. I only had a bath once a week - something I didn't look forward to as there was no heating at all upstairs. Now I have a very hot bath every morning and night.

These days, I wash my grandchildren's clothes at the end of the day. I wash bedding once a month, ditto towels. I rarely use a very hot wash, except for my mum's laundry which I bring home to do.

My own and my husband's t shirts, tops and jumpers are washed after two or three wears, trousers less often.

I really don't see the need for washing towels on a very hot programme.

I iron almost everything.

We machine wash our trainers a few time a year. Come up like new.

Shoes in the wash? That's taking things a bit too far...

I did have a similar thought when having a shower a few days ago. There were no deodorants, shirts got worn several days, trousers were washed occasionally and we only had baths on Friday. Regardless of bathing daily, I'm sure it must have been a much smellier workplace than it is today.

Now we shower daily, or even twice daily, wash clothes after each wearing (including my best gardening clothes, the ones full of holes), even our shoes go in the wash. 48 hour deodorants (who would need one that lasted 48 hours ?), various smelly (nice ones) stuffs. Thank goodness for 2014

The other extreme - another of my supply teaching jobs in the late 50s was at Trimdon Colliery Primary. I was told that at the beginning of winter the children were smeared with goose fat and sewn into their winter underclothes.
I'm not sure if it was an urban myth?

Our grand-kids put their school uniform- vest, shirt, t-shirt and trousers/skirts in the wash bin practically every day, as well as sock and pants. When I put clean skirt and trousers and sweatshirt neatly aside for the next day, daughter asked what I was doing and why?

Totally un-necessary I'd say (but of course as a granny, I do as I am told ;) )- however, nothing gets ironed.

Underclothes and socks are washed after each wearing, sometimes shirts and blouses, but jeans and trousers can be worn more than once.
We each have our own towels so they get a once a week wash, unless used for swimming.

I read somewhere that the young wash their bedclothes infrequently. I thought once a week was the norm. x

I do wash things more often now than my Mum did when I was small but I certainly don't wash stuff after one wear/use other than underwear and socks..
We only bathed once a week having a stand up wash at the kitchen sink unlike now when we shower every day. So things really don't get that dirty/smelly now . I will wear things a couple of times and jeans even more times.. I think its a waste of power and water to wash things every time they are used/worn. and then there's the tumble drying in the Winter which many people rely on to dry stuff .,