Never mind bath v shower, how about not washing at all?

My mum used to boil up the 'whites' every day in a bucket on the gas cooker.

I've never lived in a house without a bath .My mother used to chase us upstairs every night for a quick bath.My sister was the quickest ...so quick that when my mother finally twigged she wasn't having a bath and made her take her woollen tights off her legs had the same pattern as the tights...lol.
I loved my bath and always washed my hair daily ,my dad used to pick up new makes of shampoo for me ,anyone remember a very thick egg and lemon shampoo ,it came in a tub and had to be spooned out .As for underwear,we put our knickers in a bucket under the sink every night it had disinfectant in it and mum just washed the pants weekly .

I remember reading while back that the French spend more on perfume than deodorant.

I wouldn’t fancy using the Paris metro!

When I was a little girl we had a tin bath which my dad put in front of the fire once a week. He then filled it with water - I had first bath, mum second and him third. Good thing there weren't more of us. Up until the end of his life he only had a bath once a week.

I now cannot put clothes on a dirty body and have a shower and wash my hair every morning.

Good post DanniRae.

I had terribly dry legs and my daughter said "Stop washing them with soap". I also used to scrub them with a plastic shower scrunchie to remove the dry skin. Now I just wash them with warm water in the shower and no scrunchie scrubbing and they are so much better.

I guess the apocrine sweat glands atrophy when we get old.

I take articles like this from the US with a pinch of salt.

They haven't stopped washing, just stopped using soap in a couple of cases and one who only washes when something gets dirty.

If people stopped washing they would stink!

teams trams

I remember strap-hanging on buses, trains and teams and the dark circles of sweat visible on men's shirts and the acrid smell.
It's rare to see that now and even more rare for people to exude a sweaty aroma.
Fewer manual labour intensive jobs or more attention to personal hygiene?
I think it's a mixture of both.

We only had a bath once a week as well but in our house at least, we had a "good, stand-up wash" every single day.
And clean underwear every morning.

If we were sick, Mum would insist on 'top and tailing' at the very least.

The underarm sweat pads were kept in place with a couple of large tacking stitches, presumably to remove for washing. I don’t know how frequently though.

My mother had been a nanny before marriage, plus she was raised Welsh chapel, so in her world cleanliness is next to godliness. Hence we children had baths at least twice a week and clean underwear every other day. In winter when the bathroom was frozen up we got washed in the kitchen sink. I don't recall people being particularly smelly but then if everyone smelt the same, you wouldn't notice. I haven't used a deodorant for well over 20 years. I didn't notice any difference in smell when I stopped.

In olden times people were supposed to smell terrible hence nose gays and posies to ward off nasty niffs!

We moved to our own home when I was 9 but those first years sharing a house with dad's mum and sister were wonderful, despite certain privations.

Yerrrssss. I well remember the dreaded 'tide mark'.
Weekly bath in a tin bath by the fire and clothes airing on the fire-guard well back from the grate.

We were scrubbed till we were red and the towels were less than luxurious but did the job.
It was dad who combed our wet hair to help it dry while we children drank Horlicks or Ovaltine and ate supper of bread spread with butter and 'G'berry jam, cut into quarters and stiff from the heat of the fender.
Very happy family times.

Like others, only had a bath once a week when small. Hair washed same time.
Certainly didn’t have clean clothes every day, and I don’t imagine my friends did either, but I honestly cannot remember anyone smelled.
When the advert came out where a woman whispered in someone’s ear - “B.O.” my sister and I didn’t know what the initials meant!
Can remember having ‘grufty’ hands if you didn’t wash them properly.

Liase I remember those underarm sweat pads. Can't remember how they were attached though. Something like velcro?
And Odorono!

This sounds like me. I've always washed my 'pennies and tuppences' daily, but only with water.
Same with underarms.
Occasionally I sweat a lot during the night then have a warm shower in the morning. I used to enjoy a hot bath, but it doesn't do any good to your skin.
I think I've got the aversion to soap from my Mum, so many years ago. She had lovely skin, even in old age, and never used soap.

We had clean clothes every day, and had our necks scrubbed with a flannel in case of a 'tide mark'.

Thinking about deodorants. When I was around four or five years old I remember my mother using pads to soak up sweat from under her arm pits. They were fixed to the dress in some way. Then along came Arid deodorant and Odorono. I suspect she used the pads as she was allergic to a lot is chemicals.

Yes the weekly Luke warm bath!

We had clean clothes once a week, we must surely have smelt, but I can’t say I was ever aware of it, there were a couple of girls who really did smell awful, presumably they only had a monthly bath!

I’m afraid I’m now a clean freak.

Offensive and apparently should be in there somewhere. Predictive text seems to be making up its own language!

Few years ago I decided to use a natural deodorant as I understood there are harmful chemicals in the usual brands. After a few days, despite regular showers, I was emitting a distinct pong! Apparently this is to be expected, but I couldn't bear it and went back to chemicals. I think back in the day when bathing was a weekly affair we all smelt so it was normal so not offensiy. During the war appaithe Americans thought we stank too.

Pressed send too soon.

...nowadays but still smell it now and then. Ugh! ?

I really can't stand standing behind or near people who smoke or have recently smoked. Their clothes (and breath) often stink although they don't appear to be aware of it.
I have to walk away. Some people's clothes and hair smell of food/cooking. Not so much nowadsys but