Treehugger recently posted an article about showers that was fascinating!! It compared how often American’s shower compared to other countries. The answer was kind of surprising. While we do shower quite a bit, lots of other countries have us beat. Columbia, Brazil, Mexico, Australia, Spain, the Middle East, France and India all out shower us {not surprisingly, most of them are considerably warmer climates}. Some countries opt instead for sponge baths and/or full submersion baths {likely that is what is more readily available?}
The article suggested that we are kind of newly obsessed with cleanliness and stripping ourselves of our natural smells {with modern soaps, deodorant, mouthwash, etc. that have only been around for about 100 years} And it’s true, if you think back to maybe 100 years ago, I am sure we did shower/bathe less, simply because of the difficulty of heating water for bathing, but it turns out that most “refined” historical cultures {The Romans, Ancient Greeks…even the Babylonians all revered bathing and cleanliness. The Egyptians bathed very frequently, and added make-up to boot}. As our quest to jump on the hygiene super highway has grown, we’ve invented water heaters, indoor plumbing, etc., and the ease of washing the day off has become easier–and the frequency has almost undoubtedly gone up.
So how often do YOU shower? Me? Usually 6 days out of 7 every week {I like to allow for a lazy day :)}.
~Mavis
Joe McBee says
EVERY. SINGLE. DAY! Got to have a shower first thing in the morning. The only exception is when I am camping. For some reason it doesn’t bother me as much then. However, when I get home I take a long, luxurious shower to get the grime off.
Also, I really don’t like baths at all. I like what Kramer said on Seinfeld about baths; it’s “sitting in a tepid pool of your own filth!”
Dana says
I’d like to say daily but it really just depends. Some days you’re too tired to even rinse off before you flop into bed. Many days you need a shower to just to wake up enough to be able to make your morning coffee. And I hate to admit that there are days when I’m just so lazy I simply do a quick wash up, – pits, private parts, face, hands, – and it’s off to meet the day, ideally a quick shower before bed every night is the goal.
jeri says
I shower daily. I just feel icky if I don’t. My hair feels oily and flat. I just don’t feel good if I haven’t showered. It gets me going.
Katelyn says
I shower daily – I even took a shower in the hospital the morning after my daughter was born because I couldn’t handle the idea of not washing my hair. My husband takes 3 showers A DAY (waking, after the gym and before bed). Our water bill is ridiculous.
Susan says
Every day
Heather says
I feel bad admitting- but I take three showers a week. Life is busy with little kids and between babies throwing food, the garden, and the barn I always feel like I an dirty again within minutes of taking a shower so it seems like a waste of water. I take showers on the days I have meetings, and the rest of the time rely on a good hand scrub and clean clothes (I do change my clothes often).
Janet says
Thank god for you Heather. I am in the same boat and was starting to question myself with the daily shower answers.
Rachel B says
I shower every other day, so roughly 3 a week as well. I do change my underwear each day, but my clothes I wear multiple times before laundering (the amounts vary depending on the item) – I don’t get very sweaty or dirty, so it works out just fine.
Nancy says
Every morning without fail and many times before bed as well.
Stephanie B says
About every other day which averages out to 3 times a week. More often if I’m doing intense workouts and getting sweaty. I feel my hair does best not being washed every day, and it’s really thick so it takes a while to dry it. Plus I’m a busy mom of 3 young kids, it would be tough to make time to shower every day.
gitte kaan says
We only have hot water two times a week, and thats when we shower. We chose this because it costs a lot of electricity to heat the water.
KAte says
I shower every third day or so, whenever I feel like I need it. On the days in between I use washcloth to hit the important places.
Beyond that I wash my hair once every 10 days or so. Just getting it wet in the shower does a good enough job getting the dirt out that I don’t need to lather up as often. I figure that saves water too.
Bobbie says
I shower five to 6 days a week. I have begun to just stay in for 2 songs on the radio instead of basking in the steamy, hot water until it runs out. It is a meditating time of day for me and totally relaxing. I know I dry my skin out by showering so often. I do not lather my arms and legs every time, though.
Janice says
As a nurse, when I work daily If I am off will often skip a day
John Wheeler says
Honestly? If you count full showers, the number is a fraction….
If you count wiping critical areas, more than daily. I do my best to make sure sweat doesn’t have a chance to linger on my body.
And I change my clothes frequently, sometimes several times a day, but I let them air out more often than washing them.
Pam says
I was raised in a home with well water/septic tank and I currently live in a home with well water/septic tank. I was made aware of water wasting from a very young age. I LOVE taking a shower (and I do shower daily in the warmer weather) but also realize what horrible water wasters they are so hubby and I made house rules. 2 minutes total shower time each……..no exceptions. It’s easier than you think if you install a cut off button on your shower head – get wet and then turn the water off. Lather your shampoo, run a soapy washcloth over your body and then turn the water back on to rinse. I do my shaving in a half sink of water (I shudder to think how many gallons are wasted down the drain if I did this in the shower.).
T says
Full body shower, only do 2-3 times a week. Living in the southwest, I am extremely conscious of water usage. “Strategic areas” can be taken care of as needed with what my grandmother called a spit bath. We also keep a 5 gallon bucket in the showers to capture water during the growing season. When the younger kids take a bath (they do not sweat much so once a week works for them) we bail that water out of the tub for plants, too. It was hard to admit, but I did have to concede that the teenagers needed more frequent showering. All I can do is hope that their hormones level out at some point.
Karen says
Even in drought stricken Cali I shower at least once every morning! Maybe another time if I was working in the yard or something. Who wouldn’t want to feel clean and smell fresh!!!????!!!!
Melissa says
I’m with you Mavis…6 out of 7 days a week. Although I will admit, I do not wash my hair everyday (at the advice of my hairdresser). If I’m working out or getting dirty in the yard then I’ll wash my hair, otherwise it’s everyother day for my hair!
Mary Ann says
Every morning. I clean up with wipes or a washcloth at night before bed, but I have to have that morning shower or I feel unclean.
Margery says
Every morning, and often 2x a day in the summer if I am working outside. My older teens daily, my middle teen when I tell her, and the younger guy when I go to give him a kiss on the top of his head and it doesn’t smell very fresh.
Laurie G says
At least once every. single. day. I raised my children on the 24 our rule. I told them they must bathe or shower at least once in a 24 hour period. It wound up not being a problem because they all played sports/cheer and so they usually bathed several times a day. I can’t face my day without a shower. On the weekend if I’m working around the yard I’ll soak in my Jacuzzi bathtub before bed. I don’t do that much now because of the drought situation. I’ve also cut back the length of my showers.
D says
I shower every single day and have not skipped a day since I camped one night last summer! My hubby does as well. We both shower at night and shower quickly… My tween and teen shower every other day usually or more if needed because of sports.
Kari says
Daily, but a quick one to lather the necessities. Every third day I wash my hair and shave, so those days a bit longer. The hubby showers daily when working, usually not on his day(s) off. The kiddos, usually 2-3 times a week.
Julie says
This was the best subject when I was an exchange student back in the days! People here think that French people don’t take shower, and stink and whatever else and I had the best time of my life making those people realize that at the end, they were the ones being gross. So yes every single day and if it’s too warm twice. yeeekk your body is full of bacteria, if you wash your hands often (well I hope so..) it’s the same for your entire body! And rins it off what does it means… it’s all over the comments, if you take 2 minutes to go under the water use some soap too. That’s why we have “bidet” in Europe, your intimate part has to be washed everyday or you get mycosis and other stuff. I feel like it’s a difference in health system too… in Europe most of the time it’s doctors in addition to parents that will educate kids about that, to show all the risks and make them realize you have to shower every day and twice if it’s warm (especially women!!).
And come on USA make some effort on the deodorant too…. what about that white paste that you use as a deodorant… not helping for anything…
In the contrary hair doesn’t need to be washed every day. More you wash it, more greasy it will get because you wear off the natural protection that you hair get to resist to pollution and climate change. So every 3 days or more (depending on your kind of hair some get greasy easier) it’s fine and they won’t look gross
Jess says
I’m going to be an oddball. I shower about twice a week, three times a week sometimes. My hair doesn’t build up grease at all, and unless I’m doing a ton of gross work, I don’t need more. My skin and scalp are much happier with the change. It’s actually somehow reduced my need to wear deodorant. And no, I’m not single 🙂 My husband and three kids live here too.
Cecily says
I’m with you Jess. Twice a week showers otherwise my skin and hair gets really dry. I do wash the “naughty bits” daily though!
Jenn says
I take 2 showers a day. Once in the morning and then just before I go to bed every night. We live in the south and even during the winter, you can sweat. I hate being sweaty so in the shower I go. But, I do only wash my hair once a day and the only reason I do that is because it is oily.
Jill says
I shower daily but I only wash my hair 2 to 3 times per week – it’s very dry and curly – so my non-hair washing showers are usually very quick.
Lacy says
Usually every 2 to 3 days. If I’ve been busy in the yard doing garden stuff or hard tasks in the yard, I’ll rinse my body off. I wash my hair twice a week.
Lisa Millar says
lol – this feels like confession time!
I am glad to hear I am not the only one that doesn’t bother about daily showers!
We are on very limited tank water and during summer really have to conserve (We have about 18,000 litres storage capacity – (Less than 5000 gallons) )
If we haven’t gotten particularly grotty during the day, a shower is just a waste of our water. Of course when either we go into town inflicting ourselves on other people or we have been in the garden and are covered in dirt etc, we shower! (Altho in Summer we end up turning on the shower to get wet… turning it off again, then soaping up then rinsing)
So far we have managed to run the house and quite a large garden on conserving what we have… and because its rain water – no water bills.
Right now I am inside listening to pouring rain and loving the fact that the tanks are finally filling up again and we can take some less tedious showers!
I used to live in Japan and the bathing culture there is wonderful! If we had enough water here I would love to put a Japanese bathroom in! They sensibly shower and get clean before soaking in the bath!
I really think that we are a little over obsessed with germs with sprays for everything. Building up a little immunity without being a complete smelly grot really doesn’t hurt! 🙂
Caroline says
EVERY SINGLE DAY. There’s no way I would or could do different. Sorry, but I don’t understand those who people who are just ‘wiping’ areas. If you’re going to take the time to stand there and suds up your crotch, then why don’t you just take 2 measly minutes to hop in the dang shower? Instead of half assing it? 1,000 times better.
Lisa Millar says
It’s not hard to understand why some people choose not to shower every day!
A two minute shower will use about 15 litres (4 gallons) if you are using an efficient shower head or around 30 litres (8 gallons) for a regular shower head. For two people showering speedily everyday that’s a minimum of 210 litres a week just for the shower.
If you live in a town or city and can turn on a tap without more thought than knowing you have the money to pay for it, then you don’t have to worry or think upon it.
However if you are on a limited budget, saving on water and hot water isn’t a bad idea.
And if you are like us on limited tank water, missing a shower here and there is no big deal, but running out of water in summer is a HUGE deal. We can go three months without a decent rain fall (and sometimes none) over summer so the risk of using all our water is high. We rely on that water for the garden that feeds us and keeps our chickens alive. It’s worth skipping showers here and there.
I love a long hot shower… but for us summer is not the time for them.
Pam says
Well said Lisa. I too have water restrictions (self imposed so that my garden and animals can get all the water they need). I would LOVE to shower whenever the spirit moves me but it’s simply not an option. I read through everyone’s answer and never once thought less of people who don’t think conserving water is as important as I do. Insinuating that NOT showering every day is due to laziness or indifference to personal hygiene is a bit offending (just my opinion – not trying to speak for Lisa here).
Lisa Millar says
Thanx Pam 🙂
Cecily says
If you don’t like that your gonna hate this. Per doctor recommendation I don’t use soap “down there”, just hot water. Must be nice not to have to worry about the cost of water like us lesser mortals.
tlp0322 says
Twice a day. Everyday. With horses, barn work, gardening and work there’s no way I could go without it
Carre says
I shower once a day. To be frank living in the Northeast, I don’t think about water. I know that’s wrong. (I am don’t buy single serving packets of food. Plastic bags are band in my home, along with paper towels.) We have a deep well and never run out of water, so it’s just the cost of heating. I don’t take a very long shower. I do however take longer showers at the gym. I’ve thought about only showering at the gym to cut heating costs. I wish people in the above comments had listed where they live. I bet those who take less showers live in areas where drought is common.
Lisa Millar says
Australia… probably close to the driest inhabited continent on Earth! Generally we are pretty water aware… years of drought really make you think of water in a frugal way. And those of us living in country areas with our own water think about its use extremely carefully! 🙂
I have lived in countries where water is not an issue at all and its an easy habit to get into, just enjoying your long showers!! 🙂
Cecily says
Actually I’m in Washington state where water is abundant, I just have a family of five and my construction worker DH and stinky teenage boys need the daily shower more than me, a SAHM. The cost of the water and heating gets pricey so I economize and do a sponge bath most days. It’s better for my skin anyway not to take a daily hot shower.
Ronnica, Striving Stewardess says
I shower 6 days a week usually. I used to get by with every other day, but that was before I gave up A/C and walked more.