Personal Hygiene during the golden era? did some people only bath once a week??

[green papaya]

back in the old days like 1900 - 1930's did people have the same personal hygiene as modern day people? I heard some only bathed once a week?

how about change of clothing did they wear the same clothes more than one time before laundering? since lots of people had to hand launder their clothing and they didnt have clothes dryers, I think people probably didnt wash them as often or probably wore them several times before washing.

since money was tight and they didnt have lots of extra money to buy nice clothing or cheap imported clothing like they have now.

 

[Steveb1]

It probably varied by income level, but I think Saturday night was big for bath's back in the day.

 

[LizzieMaine]

It was actually very common to bathe once a week -- keep in mind that a lot of homes didn't have hot water, and bath water had to be heated on the stove. That's a lot of work, and it's where the tradition of the "Saturday Night Bath" came from. The apartment we lived in when I was a baby didn't have hot water, and my mother well remembers heating water in a big soup pot for bath purposes.

Laundry was generally done only once a week as well -- automatic washers didnt become common till the early sixties -- so except for underwear it was usual to not wash garments after every wearing. Women usually wore slips and dress shields to keep their clothing fresh -- these were easier to wash in the bathroom sink than the garments themselves.

Garments wore out much quicker if they were washed too often -- and that was considered wasteful.

 

[Amy Jeanne]

I've often wondered the same.

My grandmother told me that HER grandparents didn't even have electricity until the 1940s because "they didn't need it!" I should ask her how the groomed themselves.....

 

[Hercule]

I can even remember as a kid, probably in the late 60s, sharing bath water. Fill the tub once and two or people would get a bath out of it.

 

[Smithy]

Just a different perspective from a different part of the world.

I know my grandfather back in the 20s and 30s used to have a bath every night after coming home and before changing for dinner (different clothes for dinner!). And my grandmother had a bath always before going to bed, a habit that my mother always followed as well.

How times have changed eh?

 

[Gilboa]

Part of my childhood I spent living with my grandparents. They have worked hard all their lives and invested wisely. What they had to deal with in the 'golden age' was passed on to me in the 70s.

I remember that clothes, once worn, would be aired outside rather than washed (appart from underwear of course ), there was one day in the week allocated for bath time and I hated it, resulting in my Nan (grandmother) having to chase me through the appartment.

And, quite frankly, considering that people are facing harder times again, it makes all sense. Not much has changed for me, although nobody chases me now to get into the bath tub

But I can assure you that I always smell nice!



There are many more wise facts they passed on to me, which I still use now.

What our grandparents taught us, was common sense. Only today we like to disguise it as being 'green'.

 

[Joie DeVive]

In the 1940s and at least part of the 1950s my Dad lived in a house without hot water. As Lizzie Maine described they had to heat bathwater on the stove. The family bathed once a week. My Grandmother would heat enough water to fill the wash tub, wash the kids in order from cleanest to dirtiest, and then empty the tub and heat more water to refill it for herself and my Grandfather. I believe they bathed in the kitchen.

As to clothes, my Dad said when he was young, he had two sets of clothes (more underwear). One set he was wearing, and the other was in the wash. Since my Grandmother was heating the water on the stove and washing the clothes by hand, he wore those clothes for about a week at a time. My Father started working by the time he was 13, mainly so he could afford more and better clothes.

 

[Richard Warren]

Part of my childhood I spent living with my grandparents. They have worked hard all their lives and invested wisely. What they had to deal with in the 'golden age' was passed on to me in the 70s.

I remember that clothes, once worn, would be aired outside rather than washed (appart from underwear of course ), there was one day in the week allocated for bath time and I hated it, resulting in my Nan (grandmother) having to chase me through the appartment.

And, quite frankly, considering that people are facing harder times again, it makes all sense. Not much has changed for me, although nobody chases me now to get into the bath tub

But I can assure you that I always smell nice!



There are many more wise facts they passed on to me, which I still use now.

What our grandparents taught us, was common sense. Only today we like to disguise it as being 'green'.

Ah yes the Green movement and the return of the once a week bath. How wonderful.

 

[Foofoogal]

I am a bathaholic. You will have to pry the bathtub out of my hands or the other way around.

Depression era parents so definitely heard these stories. Many a baby was bathed in the kitchen sink.
My mothers favorite quote was that no matter how poor one was monetarily they could generally afford to buy or make a bar of soap. No excuse for filthiness. Ever.
I do remember lye soap being made and also know ladies now that make their own soap and laundry detergent. It is so much cheaper and with less fillers they say.

 

[scottyrocks]

I can even remember as a kid, probably in the late 60s, sharing bath water. Fill the tub once and two or people would get a bath out of it.

Ugh. Yes, I remember that, too. My mom would put my brother and me in the same bath tub. When the water was let out at the end, we would all look at the ring. =oP I was glad to reach the age where I could take showers.

 

[Pompidou]

Here are some golden age conformity brainwashing videos about personal hygiene that seem appropriate to this thread.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QRB3xDg5pnU&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LCcJJfhdf_o

 

[LizzieMaine]

Advertising had a lot to do with inculcating the "daily bath" habit, especially from the twenties forward. Lifebuoy soap built its entire campaign for many years around making people extremely insecure about the way they smelled -- running half-page comic strip ads in national magazines about some poor unfortunate slob who offended his coworkers and lost his gal because of B. O., a term which was actually created and forced into the public consciousness by the Lifebuoy ad agency. Taking a Daily Bath with Lifebuoy eliminated this unforgiveable social risk -- and also sold a lot of Lifebuoy. "Get THREE CAKES today!" they commanded.

Less susceptible folks might have taken a sponge bath with the bar of Octagon from the kitchen sink, dabbed a handful of baking soda under their arms, and went on about their business.

 

[DesertDan]

My grandparents would only bathe once or twice a week but would take a "sponge bath" every morning while getting ready for work along with teeth brushing and shaving. The women would often wash their hair in the bathrrom or kitchen sink at night before bed. Despite being very poor they and their home was very clean, filth was not tolerated.

 

[Bruce Wayne]

Advertising had a lot to do with inculcating the "daily bath" habit, especially from the twenties forward. Lifebuoy soap built its entire campaign for many years around making people extremely insecure about the way they smelled -- running half-page comic strip ads in national magazines about some poor unfortunate slob who offended his coworkers and lost his gal because of B. O., a term which was actually created and forced into the public consciousness by the Lifebuoy ad agency. Taking a Daily Bath with Lifebuoy eliminated this unforgiveable social risk -- and also sold a lot of Lifebuoy. "Get THREE CAKES today!" they commanded.

Less susceptible folks might have taken a sponge bath with the bar of Octagon from the kitchen sink, dabbed a handful of baking soda under their arms, and went on about their business.

Once again Lizzie, you never cease to amaze me with all your facts!

 

[Foofoogal]

I am sure they used baking soda also to brush their teeth. Lizzie, do you know other things they may of used for teeth?

 

[PoohBang]

and on a side note: Lifebuoy soap smells terrible....

 

[LizzieMaine]

I am sure they used baking soda also to brush their teeth. Lizzie, do you know other things they may of used for teeth?

Tooth powder was very popular, but rather than buy the commercial brands, a lot of people made their own from a mixture of ground-up chalk, baking soda, and salt.

I 've used baking soda for tooth powder all my life -- I can't stand the taste of most commercial toothpastes. Too sicky-sweet.

Lifebuoy smelled the way it did because it was made with a dilute solution of carbolic acid. When Ralphie worried about "soap poisoning," he wasn't kidding.

 

[Fletch]

I imagine "one tub bath a week" did NOT equate to "one wash-up a week." Farmers and laborers had a lot of dirt and sweat to wash off daily and they did. I suspect not bathing at all was mostly a big city custom.

 

[PrairieSunrise]

Well even for me growing up in the 80's-90's with 9 siblings and one well being shared by 3 homes, we only got complete bath's once a week on Saturday. But, Mom made sure we scrubbed face, hands, arms and feet at least once a day. Not until we reached 12-13 were we allowed to bathe more often.