Late Night Discussions
Working the night shift can lead to some interesting topics of discussion. After spending 12 hours a day with the same people for years, you get pretty open about all things. Recently during lunch, we were sitting around the break room table and got on the topic of showers. One person said, “So and so said she doesn’t use a washcloth,” and several others chimed in that they don’t either. Well, it became a full-on debate over hands vs cloth / loofa / device it washes, and then all the questions of how and why came next.
A Very Scientific Study
So of course I had to do my research for this post, and where better to head for some authentic and strong quality research than to ask the masses on social media? I offered up two polls on my Instagram story (see very scientific): the first was, “Hands or Washcloth / Loofa / Other?” Then the other hot question, “Wash Your Legs and Feet or Nah, The Shower Does That?” Looking back, I should have also asked about baths vs. showers and rinse post-bath: yes or no. Perhaps there will be a part two to this post.
Survey Says
According to my research, 73% of participants use a washcloth / loofa / other to clean their body in the shower, while the other 27% of us (yes US, I fall into this group) use our hands.
The biggest questions we had for each other in this late-night conversation were:
- Team Washcloth asked “How do y’all clean your butt and lady bits? You just stick your hands all up in there???!!!”
- On the other side, we wanted to know “Do you wash the cloth / loofa / other daily or do you just leave it hanging in the shower to use next time?”
On behalf of my “hands” people, I will answer that yes I use my hands to clean my body. On the scale of dirty and clean is very rarely truly “dirty,” and considering I have pretty good bathroom hygiene, I am not too worried about finding a surprise while I clean. Secondly, I am literally in the shower, so my hands are clean and can be cleaned again post nether washing if needed.
On the washcloth /loofa / other side of things, several reported that they use a fresh cloth daily; however, the old one is usually just tossed in the hamper (don’t even get me started on the ick that a wet body cloth sitting in a hamper gives me). Those that state they wash it daily, I need to know more. Like is it washed alone or do you just throw your body cloth in with whatever load is in? The loofa / other people leave their body cleaning device of choice in the shower. I then wonder if they know about all their non-friendly bacteria multiplying on that moist porous device hanging in the humid shower. Not all of my research is social media-based, though. Take a look at what the Cleveland Clinic has to say on the subject.
Look At Those Legs
A whopping 86% said that they wash their legs and feet daily, while 14% let the shower do the work for them. Now for this one, I could probably go either way. Truthfully I probably only “wash” my legs because I shave almost daily and my feet, I love a good pumice stone most days. Not to mention my feet touch a lot of gross things every day, especially if you are a barefoot-over-shoes person like me.
Shower to Settle or to Wake Up
The topic shifted to whether you are a shower when you wake up person or a shower before bed person. I am a shower when I wake up, or at least before I start my day, kind of person. I will take the shower before bed if I have to be somewhere super early, but to me, getting out of bed and getting dressed without a shower just makes me feel incomplete and not really “ready.” A shower also doesn’t really relax me; I can’t let my wild hair dry naturally or sleep with it wet.
Last Up Is The Bath
Truthfully, this one could have a post of its own. People either love a bath or hate a bath, there isn’t much of an in-between. Quarantine brought the love of a bath back to me. I will sit in the tub for hours reading or watching a show. I love a glass of wine and a charcuterie moment in the bath. With all that said, my baths aren’t as often as they were in quarantine.
Following a bath, I need to rinse off. I have just sat in a tub of water and skin and all the other things, so it does not leave me feeling clean by any means. Also if I have to wash my hair, that needs to be done in the shower.
I have several friends who bathe every day. I am a little jealous that they have the time to do that. My showers are usually quick and solely for the purpose of getting clean and getting ready. One friend comes home from work and naps in the tub; another said she only takes baths and never a shower, while another friend said she will sometimes take 2 baths a day.
Put Them In Water
One piece of advice I got when I had babies was to “put them in water.” Fussy baby, put them in water. Wild toddlers, put them in water. Bored toddler, put them in water. You get the picture. The calming impact that water has on most of us is nothing short of magical. There is something that happens from the time you walk into the shower or bath to the time you walk out, you become rejuvenated, you become relaxed, you become clean, and you feel good. No matter how you do it or where you do it, just do it and enjoy it.
