And this folks, is why I remind my family - Just because it’s soap, doesn’t mean its clean…
I always wash from top down, with the exception of hair I do last. Since I practically have none (bit of shampoo every few days) I don’t think this matters unless I have been shat on by a bird or something!
Neck/ears/face etc first (after a good pre-lather - see above, then a post-lather), then shoulders armpits, arms etc, then belly, balls and bum, down the legs to the ankles. Like someone else said here, I’m 190cm and at this point I am already uncomfortably prone! Feet are always dancing around in soapy water so they are fine, and I never got toe jam so it must be okay.
Step out of the water, lather up hands, scrub, then back into the water to rinse. Face, then hair, the upper body then lower body - with a good spray of the undercarriage (shower heads are supposed to be removeable, not stuck to the wall).
It’s a pet hate of mine that people often miss the step of rinsing when cleaning. The whole point is that the soap picks up the muck, then rinsing it removes it. This is a particular problem with dishes, where people leave (sometimes very dirty) dishwater on the plate to drip dry, with much of the residue remaining. My dishes fucking sparkle, and that’s because I rinse them clean.
In contrast, with showers I think some people lather up in the water, which dilutes and rinses the soap away before it even cleans anything.
For the 5-10 seconds it takes to lather up? Not really worth it, especially if the water temperature will fluctuate. Also, there’s something to be said for the hot steaminess that showers create.
I’m all for saving energy when it’s not being used, but I’m using that hot water. I might not need it, but I enjoy it.
If you only spend 5-10 seconds I’d argue you might as well stop showering because that is not enough time to be effective.
(edit) To not be too argumentative and rude I’d wager you probably spend more time than 10 seconds. :) Your other points do have merit too, heck who am I to judge your showering habits.
Yeah I think I was downplaying the time to try and make it seem like I’m not wasting water so much XD but dammit if I don’t like a good hot soak.
However 5-10 seconds is probably about right for my face and hair each. 5-10 seconds lather, 5-10 seconds rinse and scrub. Then standing in the water for a minute or so daydreaming lmao.
What kind of damned animal doesn’t rinse their dishes after washing them with soap?! I refuse to accept there are people out there doing this and if there are: I am not mad, I am just deeply disappointed in you.
I think it’s maybe a UK think, with a view to saving energy. Fill up a big washing up bowl in the sink, put soap in that, wipe it with a cloth then put it straight on the rack. Meanwhile I just run the hot tap excessively (turned down to a low flow) and scrub with one of those sponges on a stick with soap dispensing through the handle.
My parents were British and they used to have two washing bowls. Pile the dirty dishes into one and fill with warm water and dish soap. Clean water in the second bowl for rinsing. After a while the second bowl builds up residual soap so it needs to be emptied and refilled. I figure I use the same amount of water rinsing under a running faucet. But the soak thing is a great tip - leaving dishes in water to soak makes cleaning them so much easier.
I prefer to just leave the hot tap running throughout, but down on low flow (basically the lowest I can have it with the combi boiler still on, but because it’s so slow it’s actually even hotter than full flow). The constant heat really helps loosen everything, then when the plate or whatever is on the rack to dry it’s steaming.
But yeah most British people would be horrified with the way I do it hah.
My dishes fucking sparkle, and that’s because I rinse them clean.
This is how I can tell you live in an area that doesn’t have hard water. Water spots all over my dishes, even though I rinse them… sometimes because I rinse them.
I do actually live in an area with hard water, and don’t have a water softener. Even then, I think the heat of the water I use maybe helps - there’s only ever a tiny little bit of water left to drip out. I’m not very energy effecient with it, I run the hot tap very hot to rinse.
Look up the green “Asian body scrub” cloths. They’re next level wash cloths that exfoliate, dry fast, and are washable. Bonus, they’re super cheap. I swear by them and can’t ever go back to other scrubbers.
I haven’t used soap in the shower for at least five years. Only when cleaning hands, and I do use antiperspirant) I just scrub myself with my hands in the shower top to bottom. (I am bald tho).
No one has ever mentioned me smelling bad, even my current co-workers who do say it if someone is smelling.
I had a long time of issues with my skin, and when I researched for causes I realised I was using too much soap. So I switched to soap every other day, once a week and eventually just dropped soap altogether when I found I didn’t really need it. Haven’t had any issues with my skin since.
What kind of antiperspirant are you using that doesn’t require soap to remove it? They almost always have a residue that keeps them in place that doesn’t normally just wash off.
I love how people say this. Dude, other people will not tell you if you smell bad unless you ask fairly insistently. It’s awkward, and people would just rather ignore it than broach that awkwardness. Tell someone you work with and trust everything you have just written here, and see what they say. My bet is either you are “that smelly guy at the office” or “meh you smell kinda funky, but it’s not horrendous”. Either way: wash ya ayyssssss
My brother, I work in a kitchen. The people there do, (and have) told their fellow workers when they smell. Either when they don’t shower enough, or when they use too much deodorant.
I mean, yeah? I don’t use a wash cloth anymore, I use a different kind of scrubber that dries out quickly, but when I used a wash cloth I just used a different one every day. Marginal impact on my laundry and a pack at Target was cheap. Every day I could wash my face with a clean cloth and then wash the rest of my body.
On the occasions where I need to use just a bar of soap to shower with, I usually build up a big lather on my stomach and/or chest then spread it outwards from there (relathering on my torso again if there isn’t enough initially.)
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