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

[Puzzicato]

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.

One of our clients has been strenuously resisting the installation of a washer-dryer in her flat. She says her clothes don't get dirty and she handwashes her smalls. She's in her 80s and not noticeably smelly.

 

[Doctor Strange]

Coincidentally, there was just a NYT article about people who believe the current, generally accepted level of personal cleanliness is overkill:

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/10/31/fashion/31Unwashed.html

 

[Smithy]

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.

That's exactly why my grandfather always had a bath before changing for dinner. He was farming and had spent the whole day on a horse. I dare say my granny wouldn't have let him near the dinner table before he'd cleaned up a bit.

 

[Edward]

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

You kidding? I love it! When I was growing up, Dad always swore by washing with that twice a day to keep the zits away.... alas, I must take more after my mother, as if I use most any soap on my face, my nose will crave with itch to the point where I will scratch until it bleeds. Only part of me that happens, no idea why. [huh]

I do think there might be something in the overkill theory, though I do wash regularly. I have a bath at least once a year, whether I need it or not! Most days I shower before getting dressed (though I do often wonder whether I might successfully transfer that to before bed instead). I enjoy feeling clean - most particularly the feel of my feet, freshly showered, in clean socks as I step out in the morning. At a push, though, I can do without a shower in the morning on the odd occasion and not stink - moreso in the last few years with shaving my head. When I had hair, it needed done daily or you could have fried an egg on it. I did wonder whether there was anything in the old urban myth that if you didn't use shampoo on your hair for six weeks you never needed to again, but I could never get past day two without feeling icky.

 

[Bruce Wayne]

http://www.stylelist.com/2010/11/01...?icid=main|htmlws-main-n|dl3|sec3_lnk1|181779

 

[scottyrocks]

If I dont shower every day, I get itchy. If I dont wash my face twice a day, I break out. So I do both. I dont want to be itchy and pimply, tyvm.

 

[HoundstoothLuke]

Does anybody know if people had sponge washes using the sink during the week to stop the stench getting too bad?

 

[LizzieMaine]

Yep. And a handful of baking soda or talcum powder under the armpits was a common finishing touch.

 

[scottyrocks]

Yep. And a handful of baking soda or talcum powder under the armpits was a common finishing touch.

I do talc on the weekends just to give my pits a break.

 

[dwebber18]

I do talc on the weekends just to give my pits a break.

If you're worried about the aluminum or parabeans in deodorant, take a look at some of the organic offerings or Arm & Hammer Naturals. The arm & Hammer seems the work the best for me that I've found and some organics may work for you that didn't work for me. The Arm & Hammer is relatively cheap too, I can usually find it on sale at Kroger here for $1 and that's what I've been using for a couple months. I still use regular deodorant for when I know I'll get sweaty or will be outside a good bit for the antiperspirant properties, but the other stuff works fine for me just sitting at my desk and normal daily activities. But the natural or organic stuff doesn't function well as a sweat stopper so keep that in mind.

 

[Undertow]

In Satan Speaks!, Anton LaVey mused that he didn't bathe at all. He claimed that he washed the parts of his anatomy that required washing one at a time, and only when necessary. Thus, he might wash his legs one night, and his feet another, his hair the next and a week later, his chest. He said he never had an odor to speak of, other than that of a human. [huh]

Although I do love a good bath, I grew up where a person only bathed when they needed it. Sometimes I go three or four days without. The summer months have me bathing more frequently, as does frequent physical activity. I've always been quite self-conscious of personal odors, but I know better - and I know you don't need to wash every day. You also don't need to douse yourself in cologne.

 

[scottyrocks]

If you're worried about the aluminum or parabeans in deodorant, take a look at some of the organic offerings or Arm & Hammer Naturals. The arm & Hammer seems the work the best for me that I've found and some organics may work for you that didn't work for me. The Arm & Hammer is relatively cheap too, I can usually find it on sale at Kroger here for $1 and that's what I've been using for a couple months. I still use regular deodorant for when I know I'll get sweaty or will be outside a good bit for the antiperspirant properties, but the other stuff works fine for me just sitting at my desk and normal daily activities. But the natural or organic stuff doesn't function well as a sweat stopper so keep that in mind.

I dont use anti-perspirant. I use deodorant. I feel that sweating is a necessity. I just dont want to smell bad (in public).

Giving my pits a break means that they get a little irritated from the deodorant after a while, even showering every day. So I just use powder on the weekend if Im not gonna be socializing. If I am going out, I'll shower and use deodorant.

 

[Pompidou]

I shower every single day, sometimes twice, like an OCD asylum patient. I feel completely miserable if I skip a day. That, and I'm paranoid about any sort of odor. I go through listerine and altoid breath mints like crazy- and a squirt of cologne if I leave the house. One can never be too clean and fresh smelling. That said, I recognize I'm the crazy one in this case. It's not necessary. It's just what I do.

 

[Foofoogal]

One can never be too clean and fresh smelling.
----------------------
Umm...I must be crazy then as I definitely have to take a bath daily or in Summer 2 or 3 times.
The only thing I can figure about most of this thread is the locality. In Texas where it gets 100 or so to 108 it is a necessity. It is what I grew up doing and still do.

I used to work in a food pantry and believe me soap was something kept on hand.

----------------
A bit off topic but honey has always used Old Spice deodorant but now it is only High Endurance. Used to be able to find original but even the white one in High Endurance is irritating.
Having a time finding an alternative. He likes smelling good also.

 

[dwebber18]

A bit off topic but honey has always used Old Spice deodorant but now it is only High Endurance. Used to be able to find original but even the white one in High Endurance is irritating.
Having a time finding an alternative. He likes smelling good also.

That was my problem, any Old Spice was very irritating to me, and many others were as well. That's why I started experimenting with organic and natural deodorants and that has helped me a great deal. If he doesn't sweat too much all the time he could try one of those, but he might have to try a few before he gets one that works for him.

 

[scottyrocks]

I decided this morning to try a powder under my pits called Zeasorb AF. If it is truly anti-fungal, it should kill any odor, and if it does work, I will enjoy not smearing pasty stuff under there every day.

 

[Undertow]

I shower every single day, sometimes twice, like an OCD asylum patient. I feel completely miserable if I skip a day. That, and I'm paranoid about any sort of odor. I go through listerine and altoid breath mints like crazy- and a squirt of cologne if I leave the house. One can never be too clean and fresh smelling. That said, I recognize I'm the crazy one in this case. It's not necessary. It's just what I do.

This is how my lady handles the bathing issue. She insists on showering every day, often twice. She also brushes and rinses her mouth twice or three times a day. I admit, it's nice having a clean significant other!

A bit off topic but honey has always used Old Spice deodorant but now it is only High Endurance. Used to be able to find original but even the white one in High Endurance is irritating.
Having a time finding an alternative. He likes smelling good also.

Thank god I'm not the only one with this problem! Ever since they changed their formula and threw this stupid High Endurance on the shelves, it's been irritating me terribly as well! I usually buy things like deodarant in bulk, so I'm finally on my last stick. After this, I'm going to Dove, or something else that doesn't irritate so much!

 

[Yeps]

They still sell regular Old Spice everywhere I have seen, in addition to the high endurance.

 

[Undertow]

They still sell regular Old Spice everywhere I have seen, in addition to the high endurance.

None of my local shops seem to carry the "old" stuff. I'll probably have to go hunting at the gas station. I guess its kinda like none of my local Sears, Penney's or Younkers carrying cotton dress shirts. Oh sure, you can get plenty 60/40 polyester/cotton blends...

 

[scotrace]

Remember Joan Crawford's comment on seeing Clark Gable for the first time: "He was so... so... CLEAN!" Carole Lombard installed a bathroom for her new husband at their home - no tub, just a shower. He thought baths were unsanitary.

As for soap, the first widely marketed soap (indeed, product) in the world was Pears, in the UK. The ads began in the last quarter of the 19th century and continued for decades. They all were pretty much the same: "Excuse me, have you used Pears Soap today?" It was meant to encourage daily washing, if not outright bathing.

Pears is still sold. I like it and keep a stock on hand all the time. It's translucent amber, much like the pricier Nutrigena.

My grandparents - he a steelworker, she a waitress - bathed/showered/shaved every day. They were both born around 1900.