Not showering for five years. What would happen?
Harper Scott 
Someone I know recently confessed that she hasn't showered in five or six years. She lives in an old house and the shower is broken. The plumbing in the upstairs bathroom is bad, and she's a cheapskate, so she doesn't want to spend money fixing it. She got an estimate once, and said it was a "ludicrous price". Her toilet in is the downstairs bathroom.
She told me that she washes her hair twice times a week in the downstairs bathroom sink, and uses dry shampoo if it gets greasy throughout the week. Every day she uses baby wipes and cloths (dipped in water and shower gel) to wash her armpits, genitals, shoulders, and ass cheeks/thighs. She's flexible enough to wash her feet in the sink. She gives her legs and back a wipe with the cloth.
Is this enough to stay clean? Does this count as "not showering"? Because when I think of somebody who doesn't shower/bath, I imagine somebody who literally makes no effort to be hygienic. This lady doesn't smell bad, and looks as clean/maybe even cleaner than somebody who does shower.
She did say, however, that she wasn't paying enough attention to her lower legs and calves, and when she wiped them last week and rubbed real hard, a lot of head skin came off.
| by Anonymous | reply 88 | February 18, 2023 12:53 AM |
This is one of these threads where a pic is not necessary.
| by Anonymous | reply 1 | February 12, 2023 1:34 AM |
Well smell her and tell us OP
| by Anonymous | reply 2 | February 12, 2023 1:43 AM |
R2 She doesn't smell like body odor. She doesn't really smell like anything.
| by Anonymous | reply 3 | February 12, 2023 1:43 AM |
đ 𤣠đ. Is this an EST?
| by Anonymous | reply 4 | February 12, 2023 1:47 AM |
I can smell her from here.
| by Anonymous | reply 7 | February 12, 2023 1:56 AM |
A sponge bath each day, done wth intent, is quite sufficient, and certainly washing har twice a week is as well.
Hospitals, Longterm Care, Assisted Living facilities all commonly use sponge bath practices. its effcient, it works, and some elderly and others can be averse to showering or getting in a bath.
| by Anonymous | reply 9 | February 12, 2023 1:59 AM |
She's probably doing OK if you can't smell her (or don't see visible dirt, oily / stringy hair).
| by Anonymous | reply 10 | February 12, 2023 2:01 AM |
Does she at least wet towel her minge?
| by Anonymous | reply 11 | February 12, 2023 2:03 AM |
Does she at least use Sweet Fish?
Offsite Link| by Anonymous | reply 12 | February 12, 2023 2:11 AM |
it's not uncommon for many americans, in particular the elderly or fat (which is most of them), to inevitably leave it to a whore baths (anything you might be able to do in a gas station in restroom).
One doesn't really notice these days because it's more than what the younger generations are doing these days by protesting basic hygiene because their parents are narcissistic authoritarians that ruined the economy and the planet and is trying to assert their control over them by asking them to take a bath.
| by Anonymous | reply 13 | February 12, 2023 2:17 AM |
I'm more concerned about her letting her house fall apart.
| by Anonymous | reply 14 | February 12, 2023 3:57 AM |
Queen Isabella of Spain only took 2 baths in her entire life. Once upon birth and the other on her wedding day
| by Anonymous | reply 16 | February 12, 2023 4:06 AM |
I haven't showered in over a year. I use an antiperspirant in my pits. Nothing bad has happened.
| by Anonymous | reply 18 | February 12, 2023 5:00 AM |
Its not optimal, but its sounds like the lady OP describes is at least making an effort to stay clean, way better than nothing, and better than some people I've encountered. I couldnt imagine living without a working shower more than a week though
| by Anonymous | reply 19 | February 12, 2023 5:07 AM |
She may not know it, but she's taking what is commonly known as a "whore bath".
| by Anonymous | reply 20 | February 12, 2023 5:14 AM |
It depends on how physically active one is. If youâre plowing a field all day or practicing an active sport youâll be in a different state than someone who sat and read a book.
| by Anonymous | reply 22 | February 12, 2023 5:27 AM |
You can always find a way to soak your ass and pussy. I bet people on farms smelled better than city folks.
Offsite Link| by Anonymous | reply 23 | February 12, 2023 5:43 AM |
She's fine. I went 4 years doing basically what she did. In my case, it was because I am prone to dizzy spells that come and go. I live alone, and one day in the shower I fell HARD. I was OK but it scared the living fuck out of me. Had it been worse, I don't know how long I would have been stuck there without someone thinking to check on me. You couldn't pay me to get back into one of those things for literally years. I still approach with extreme caution on those very rare times I want to take a shower. Otherwise, I'm splashing in the sink again, You get used to doing the whore's bath thing, and it can actually be a rather nice, intimate experience. No shame in it, it's how people washed for literal ages, and in some cases still do.
| by Anonymous | reply 24 | February 12, 2023 5:48 AM |
Thereâs an author who focuses on Victorian life, and she spent a year as a 1800s farm woman (living by lantern light, baking everything herself over a fire - or maybe it was an iron stove) etc.
She didnât wash her long hair for the whole year, only thoroughly brushed it a hundred strokes each night. She said it was surprisingly okay. The brushing really cleaned it alright, and distributed the natural oils out from the roots.
She also wrote that wearing a corset was easy to get used to. It improved her posture and gave her core support when she was laboring around the cabin.
Sunshine is a natural sanitizer, too, so being outdoors would help bleach bacteria or whatever out of your hair as well.
| by Anonymous | reply 25 | February 12, 2023 6:42 AM |
I guess it can be done, but nothing makes you FEEL as clean as enjoying water pouring down on you.
| by Anonymous | reply 26 | February 12, 2023 7:40 AM |
I know that when my grandmother left Ireland in April of 1911, she didn't wash her hair for about 5 months. She had long hair (typical of the period) and lived in a cool climate without central heat, so it would take several days to a week for the hair of someone with long hair to dry. Therefore she was advised not to wash her hair for two weeks before her sea voyage. She was originally supposed to travel on the Titanic (glad she didn't), and stayed in Cork for another two weeks, so then it was a month before her Atlantic crossing. Then, she arrived in Boston, stayed with cousins there for several weeks before traveling to Montana to join her brothers, who were miners there and probably sponsored her. Her Boston cousins told her not to wash her hair, because, again, it wouldn't dry in time for her to safely travel across the country by train. So I think she probably didn't wash her hair from February or March until perhaps July. She brushed it out thoroughly every day. She did have beautiful thick hair until she died at age 84.
Although I have done bathroom sponging when necessary, and have washed my hair in a bathroom sink (for example after certain surgeries where my lower body couldn't get wet), I could probably count the number of times I have left my house without a full shower on the fingers of one hand. I don't take long showers, but I just don't feel clean or prepared to meet the world without one.
| by Anonymous | reply 27 | February 12, 2023 8:05 AM |
R27 I really love hearing personal histories like your grandmotherâs and it makes perfect sense why she didnât wash her hair for so long. Also, the Titanic sailed in 1912.
| by Anonymous | reply 30 | February 12, 2023 8:17 AM |
She said, "I use baby wipes dipped in cleansing gel to wash my vagina" right to your face, huh? I'm convinced.
| by Anonymous | reply 32 | February 12, 2023 8:33 AM |
[quote] What would happen?
Your butt cheeks would become stuck together from encrusted fecal matter.
| by Anonymous | reply 33 | February 12, 2023 8:38 AM |
This reminds me of that physician, James Hamblin, who didn't shower for 5 years and only used soap to wash his hands. I mean, it's how people used to do things. Nothing bad is going to happen if you still do basic washes at the sink.
| by Anonymous | reply 34 | February 12, 2023 8:40 AM |
[quote] She had long hair (typical of the period) and lived in a cool climate without central heat, so it would take several days to a week for the hair of someone with long hair to dry.
I find that very hard to believe.
| by Anonymous | reply 36 | February 12, 2023 8:47 AM |
I was going to mention that cute dude, R34.
He wrote a whole book about it. His belief is that we're over-sanitizing ourselves. The man managed to acquire and keep a wife during that time, so I tend to believe him.
I also believe him because he said that after he stopped showering, after a while he didn't stink. I admit that I did this unintentionally during the pandemic and found it to be true.
Offsite Link| by Anonymous | reply 37 | February 12, 2023 8:49 AM |
Also, a lot of bad smells come from unwashed clothes.
| by Anonymous | reply 38 | February 12, 2023 9:20 AM |
OP's friend is Madonna based on some of the description; cheap, flexible and spends a long time in their bathroom (but not showering).
| by Anonymous | reply 39 | February 12, 2023 9:30 AM |
Dr. Hamblin, in rare proximity to water:
Offsite Link| by Anonymous | reply 40 | February 12, 2023 9:32 AM |
^^ omg, which one of you bitches commented "Just came" to that picture?
| by Anonymous | reply 41 | February 12, 2023 9:34 AM |
Sheâs cleaner than 95% of the world population.
| by Anonymous | reply 42 | February 12, 2023 9:54 AM |
I hope I never get to that point.
| by Anonymous | reply 44 | February 12, 2023 10:18 AM |
r44 start a savings account for a young physical attendant now... so, someone is always available to give you a sponge bath. Insurance only goes so far.
| by Anonymous | reply 45 | February 12, 2023 10:25 AM |
If you have access to water, a wash rag, and soap, you should be able to keep your body clean. It may be a pain, but if that's all you've got you're doing far better than many who don't even have a place to sleep.
| by Anonymous | reply 46 | February 12, 2023 12:12 PM |
It really does depend on how active you are.
After a long hard workout I just feel clammy and gross if I don't shower whereas if I am in the house doing nothing, a shower probably isn't necessary.
| by Anonymous | reply 47 | February 12, 2023 12:21 PM |
Plus the season of the year. You could probably go longer without a bath of some sort if you live in an area where they have 4 distinct seasons. If it's 20° outside for days or weeks on end you're probably not getting all sweaty unless you're working hard inside.
| by Anonymous | reply 48 | February 12, 2023 12:40 PM |
Yeah, washing your knick-knacks and naughty bits is rather sufficient, soap and water with a wash cloth all over, then a dab of Vaseline rubbed into the skin at certain points to smell fresh. Winter dries me out, so I've been doing this during the winter months for the last 10+ years. I do not use deodorants or colognes, they give me a red blotchy rash in irritating patches. I feel very Clean, my clothes are clean, and no one has ever said that I stink. I wash my hair regularly as needed. I also eat clean, so my insides smell like a rose garden.
| by Anonymous | reply 49 | February 12, 2023 1:06 PM |
OP, why did you bother posting when you clearly answered your own question?
| by Anonymous | reply 50 | February 12, 2023 1:15 PM |
You don't really need to wash your hair twice a week. Actually, washing it that often makes it more greasy as your scalp attempt to make up for the oils. It takes a bit of time, but if you stop washing that frequently, your hair will become less greasy.
Frankly, I enjoy taking a shower, so would be miserable. But, if she doesn't stink (which I'm skeptical about) and doesn't appear visibly dirty, it's fine.
I'm with an ealier reply which suggests it's mental illness using the not working shower as an excuse.
| by Anonymous | reply 51 | February 12, 2023 1:47 PM |
I hesitate to ask, R24, but what if you got dizzy and fell and hit your head against the sink?
| by Anonymous | reply 52 | February 12, 2023 1:47 PM |
Not washing your hair is gross. âDistributingâ the oil makes no sense, your hair is still dirty. It will smell. And itâs not just your hair. Doesnât your scalp itch like crazy?
There is a host on QVC who claims she doesnât shower, and she looks it. She wears layers of makeup that she seemingly never washes off and her hair is usually a greasy mess.
| by Anonymous | reply 53 | February 12, 2023 2:16 PM |
R51 What mental illness could she possibly have? She doesn't shower because hers doesn't work. It's not like she avoids cleaning herself.
| by Anonymous | reply 54 | February 12, 2023 2:36 PM |
Neighbor in a rent controlled apartment has a bath tub that won't drain. Doesn't want to complain to landlord for fear of being forced out Her shower is spraying rubbing alcohol from head to toe everyday. Says it more sanitary than soap and water.
| by Anonymous | reply 55 | February 12, 2023 2:52 PM |
If anyone remembers the hairdresser from What Not to Wear, Nick somethingorother, he recommends not washing hair constantly. I think I read that he'd quit washing his hair and it actually became healthier and thicker. Wouldn't work for me because I have psoriasis which causes a lot of scaly build up if I don't scrub my scalp daily.
| by Anonymous | reply 56 | February 12, 2023 3:02 PM |
She needs to get her shower fixed.
Also, she should consider a gym membership, & shower there. But she sounds as if though sheâs cleaning herself pretty well with the wet wipes.
I wouldnât be able to do it. I love the feeling of the water hitting my head as I start shampooing my hair.
| by Anonymous | reply 57 | February 12, 2023 3:31 PM |
How can hair become thicker if it wasnât thick to start with? Makes no sense. Dirty hair is greasy and limp so it would look thinner, not thicker.
| by Anonymous | reply 58 | February 12, 2023 3:33 PM |
If she has the means, it's a sign of severe mental illness to allow her house to deteriorate. Bad plumbing will destroy the structure--it's not about aesthetics. Sounds like a case for Dr. Robin Zasio--whether there's hoarding or not. Wonder how she washes her clothes? Or if she does? And as for you, OP, I'm curious. Were you aware there was something amiss or did these revelations come as a complete surprise?
| by Anonymous | reply 59 | February 12, 2023 3:44 PM |
Try going without a shower after working in a Florida yard in the summer, OP -- and then get back to me.
In the winter, yes -- I can (and do) go for two or three days before I shower; but in the summer heat (here, mid-April through October) it would be horrible.
There's very little I love more than a good, hot shower. When I was in the hospital (10 days) and the rehab hospital (three weeks) after my 2016 motorcycle wreck, I went for 10 straight days without any kind of shower. Positively disgusting. Skin sloughing off my feet, ankles, all kinds of places. I was never so grateful to be clean in my life.
I can't imagine why anyone would choose to go without one, but to each his/her own (unless we're in close quarters).
| by Anonymous | reply 60 | February 12, 2023 4:04 PM |
"Hoarder"
But I need the tub and sinks to store my old utility bills.
| by Anonymous | reply 61 | February 12, 2023 4:13 PM |
[quote]But, if she doesn't stink (which I'm skeptical about) and doesn't appear visibly dirty, it's fine.
Why are you skeptical about her not stinking, assuming what she said about taking regular sponge baths was true?
| by Anonymous | reply 62 | February 12, 2023 4:40 PM |
[quote]When I was in the hospital (10 days) and the rehab hospital (three weeks) after my 2016 motorcycle wreck, I went for 10 straight days without any kind of shower. Positively disgusting. Skin sloughing off my feet, ankles, all kinds of places.
Excuse my ignorance, but even if one allowed oneself to become disgustingly dirty, why would that result in skin sloughing off?
| by Anonymous | reply 63 | February 12, 2023 4:41 PM |
When my father went to Vietnam in the mid 60's my mother, sister and I lived with my mother's parents in their old house in Germany. I was a first grader attending the American army base school. The morning bathing ritual took place in the kitchen and it went like this :1) turn on the electric water heater above the sink, which would take about 15 min to heat up; 2) open the spout with a sink basin below, fill up the basin ; 3) use the two washrags on a hook located on the wall next to the sink, one light color and the other dark colored. The light colored one was for face , armpits and legs - dark colored washrag was for the private area, butt, and feet.; 4) start with the face and move downwards; 5) last step was to place the basin on the floor and immerse feet. The cooking stove was heated with firewood every morning, so everyone was in the kitchen waiting to take their turn. We did get to take an occassional bath on a Sunday when there was more time to heat larger amounts of water. Sometimes those Sundays baths would take place in the garden or patio area a large portable bath.
| by Anonymous | reply 64 | February 12, 2023 4:49 PM |
[quote]Excuse my ignorance, but even if one allowed oneself to become disgustingly dirty, why would that result in skin sloughing off?
[quote]In other words, your house is filled with former bits of yourself. In one year, you'll shed more than 8 pounds (3.6 kilograms) of dead skin. It gets even grosser: Your house is also filled with trillions of microscopic life forms called dust mites that eat your old dead skin.
| by Anonymous | reply 65 | February 12, 2023 5:00 PM |
she is not OPâs friend , she is OP herself
| by Anonymous | reply 66 | February 12, 2023 5:02 PM |
Some say you shouldnât shower too often in order to preserve your micro biome - the good bacteria on your body.
| by Anonymous | reply 67 | February 12, 2023 5:14 PM |
[quote] it would take several days to a week for the hair of someone with long hair to dry.
It does not take several days to a week for long hair to dry. I'm sorry, but that sounds ridiculous,
| by Anonymous | reply 68 | February 12, 2023 5:21 PM |
Thanks, R65. So you're saying that if one doesn't naturally exfoliate through daily showers or baths or sponge baths, then the dead skin builds up on your body and eventually sloughs off in larger amounts all at once?
| by Anonymous | reply 69 | February 12, 2023 5:40 PM |
We assume dementia. OP, as long as she checks clear for a UTI, sheâs good.
However, when somebody is confessing their âlife-hackâ that would be solved with money, perhaps we could think about spending somebody elseâs money to make it go away.
| by Anonymous | reply 70 | February 12, 2023 5:53 PM |
[quote]Thanks, [R65]. So you're saying that if one doesn't naturally exfoliate through daily showers or baths or sponge baths, then the dead skin builds up on your body and eventually sloughs off in larger amounts all at once?
Yes and no.
That's how much dead skin cells, on average, people shed. But, that average figure probably averages in people bathing and not bathing at various levels. You probably exfoliate and wash away some of that, so whether that reduces the total amount of dead skin shed or whether it merely relocates it so it's not floating around your home as "dust" - couldn't say for certain.
[quote]The commonly cited number that 70% or 80% of house dust is human skin is likely not true for most houses, however. According to a 2009 study of house dust in the U.S. Midwest(opens in new tab), 60% of the components of the dust came from indoors, and 40% came from dirt and other materials tracked in from outside. That indoor 60% included everything from organic fibers to building materials, not just shed skin.
| by Anonymous | reply 71 | February 12, 2023 6:10 PM |
R24, If itâs not feasible to get some sort of adaptation, why donât you put a rubber mat and a plastic chair in the shower and shower sitting down.
| by Anonymous | reply 72 | February 12, 2023 6:11 PM |
A dirty thread, I have had more than sufficient... :-/
| by Anonymous | reply 73 | February 12, 2023 6:14 PM |
Yeah, seems like throwing the baby out with the bathwater (pun intended) to not use your bathtub due to a fall.
| by Anonymous | reply 74 | February 12, 2023 6:20 PM |
[quote] If itâs not feasible to get some sort of adaptation, why donât you put a rubber mat and a plastic chair in the shower and shower sitting down.
Or, if you have a bathtub and not just a shower stall, why not take a bath? Of course, you'd have to be careful standing up and getting out when you're done.
| by Anonymous | reply 75 | February 12, 2023 6:30 PM |
A whores bath seems like it would be more time consuming than a shower. Also it may be more difficult making sure you was all the soap off properly. Whatâs the point if you have a shower available?
| by Anonymous | reply 76 | February 12, 2023 7:20 PM |
Also, think about all of those paper wipes and plastic containers, throughout the months and years.
OP's friend does sound nuts, avoiding a plumber to this extent. What's next? What happens if the toilet has problems?
| by Anonymous | reply 77 | February 12, 2023 7:23 PM |
R59 I was just telling her about how I need to get a new shower installed because the old one is faulty, and she started telling me that her own shower hasn't worked for years and she's doing fine with wipe washes.
| by Anonymous | reply 78 | February 12, 2023 8:12 PM |
-Ashton Kutcher and his wife?!
| by Anonymous | reply 79 | February 13, 2023 12:47 AM |
[quote]r68 It does not take several days to a week for long hair to dry. I'm sorry, but that sounds ridiculous,
In that era, women did not go around with long, loose hair. Maybe it was put up on the head damp, in coils, and that could cause it to dry slower.
Still, youâd think there would be a way around this. Brushing it by the fire would, I imagine, do the trick.
| by Anonymous | reply 80 | February 13, 2023 1:00 AM |
Sounds like she doesnt have the extra $$$ to fix the problem.
| by Anonymous | reply 81 | February 13, 2023 1:04 AM |
Bet you this bitch is a hoarder and thats the real reason she wont have a plumber in. Nobody sane goes 5 fucking years without a shower.
| by Anonymous | reply 83 | February 13, 2023 4:41 AM |
Regarding the Irish gran who didnât wash her hair for months before the voyage to America. If youâve ever lived in a maritime climate, it takes forever for long hair to dry. I know. Just imagine mold on your walls and slugs climbing over the threshold. I can see where Gran didnât want to get caught on a voyage with her hair wet. Also, it was advised in those days not to get your feet or hands wet while menstruating so you wouldnât get the dreaded cramps. So add a week of menses to the Titanic delay, and I can see Granâs dilemma.
| by Anonymous | reply 84 | February 13, 2023 5:36 AM |
OP, tell your friend about this product:
Offsite Link| by Anonymous | reply 85 | February 13, 2023 6:12 AM |
Send her these on her birthday, as a special treat.
Sheâll LOVE it!
Offsite Link| by Anonymous | reply 86 | February 13, 2023 6:21 AM |
Iâm not expert but donât vagdes need to be rinsed thoroughly? They seem kind of slimey like youâd want to hose it down at least once a week.
| by Anonymous | reply 87 | February 14, 2023 4:09 AM |
