Tabebuia tree on Oahu
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Thursday, April 21, 2011

The Right Time to Bathe

In Hawaii, we were always taught to bathe before going to bed. It was pretty unthinkable not to. I guess this was a carry over Japanese custom. Going to bed with a dirty body and soiling your bedding was just way beyond acceptable behavior.


When our kids were growing up, we made sure they took a bath every night because that's the way we were raised. (That's my mother giving Tiffany a bath when we visited Hawaii in 1976, and Jon and Tif above three years later. Yes, I'm back to my scanning project again.)

When the kids grew up, they developed minds of their own in Illinois. How did that happen? They sometimes took baths in the morning. There were some times when they actually missed the night time baths. What?

When I spoke to my teacher friends, I discovered that it's true, people take baths at different times of the day. That was a revelation for me.

The morning bathers said they liked being fresh and clean smelling at work.

But then... doesn't this mean you'd have to launder your sheets every other day? This must use quite a bit of water and energy. My mother is appalled that Art and I don't think it's necessary to launder our sheets every week. Every couple of weeks is plenty as far as we are concerned. OK, I admit it! It's probably more due to laziness than anything else.

I do also have one friend who showers several times a day. What do you do in your part of the country?

25 comments:

  1. I do like to take a bath at night for the same reasons you do but also a long soak relaxes old bones and muscles for a good sleep.
    When I worked, I also showered in morning to wake up. I was a two a day'er.

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  2. In winter we only take bath in night.
    In summer we often take a shower again in the morning. I try to wash their pajamas and pillow covers constantly but not their sheets. I wonder if I'm a lazy wife.(;^_^A

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  3. I take a shower in the morning, and not every day, either! Usually five days a week is plenty. I don't think washing the sheets weekly is necessary, either, but it sounds like I'm in the minority.

    I do wash my hands often, however. I find I need to keep moisturizing them.

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  4. I shower in the morning to help me wake up, but when the weather is hot here I often take a quick bath before I go to bed; I can't sleep if I'm sweaty and sticky!

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  5. I take a bath every night and that is what I did with my kids, but they have somehow all turned into shower in the morning people. I love clean sheets, but not the whole process of getting them off, washing them and getting them back on.

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  6. We always bathed at night, but as the kids got older they all started showering in the morning. I still prefer to bathe at night -- and I don't wash the sheets but every couple of weeks either. I'm the only one that sleeps there and I go to bed clean! Fun post for the day! Hope your week is going well, Kay! Enjoy!

    Sylvia

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  7. Kay;

    I usually shower at night. I was brought up that way too. Jim on the other hand showers three times a day, (when he can) He does it mostly to wake up and at night to relax.
    My kid all shower before work.

    WE wash our sheets every other week too.

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  8. I wash our sheets every Sunday morning. David helps me put them on the king size bed, b/c it's too difficult for one person. I wash the blankets once a montth.

    I prefer to bathe in the evening or late afternoon (not late at night) and give my hair enough time to air dry.

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  9. We could put this in perspective: Boy Scout Camp: dirty work all day long, one set of sheets for 10 days; showers before bed. If the showers are crowded, an exhausted Scout leader waits until morning. Exhaustion trumps cleanliness. I was taught "never go to bed with your head wet!" Okay - so I use a towel on the pillow. Sometimes exhaustion wins.
    I would love a hot tub to relax before sleep.
    Older folks should NOT shower daily, as their thin and dry skin cannot handle it. Most hospitals bathe folks every other day...unless there was a big unplanned mess. DrumMajor

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  10. I was raised like you were and still HAVE to have an evening shower. I couldn´t imagine going to bed all sweaty and sticky. Because of our heat it is necessary to shower frequently. My husband showers each lunch time too, because he enjoys his siesta in bed.
    But the sheets need to be changed every week. Maybe more due to us liking a freshly made bed, than them being dirty.

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  11. I always shower every morning, I really like to start the day feeling fresh. I rarely shower at night unless I've been gardening or doing some heavy exercise. I certainly don't feel the need to change our sheets every other day just because we don't shower at night; I change them more often in the summer when we get so hot, but every other week does us fine the rest of the time.

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  12. Kay, I like to shower at night and my son showers in the morning and at night!

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  13. I shower daily -- usually in the morning but occasionally at night if I have an up coming early appointment. As for changing my sheets, weekly in the cool season, more frequently when it is warm.

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  14. when I come home to the boat I rinse off and hang up my (rinsed) clothes to dry in the rigging.




    Don't go to bed dirty!


    Warm Aloha from Honolulu


    Comfort Spiral

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  15. I shower at night and hubby showers in am. It depends on what your daily activities are...and I wash sheets every two weeks. Getting older, less energy and cleaner=less dirty chores...lol!

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  16. I always bathed my babies at night because it seemed to help them relax and transition from day to night. I always shower in the morning, mostly to wake up. I seldom bath in a tub.

    My daughter baths every night to relax. Tonight, she was really stressed out, so she called to cry and chat on her way home from work. She hung up as soon as she got home so she could go take a bath. She needed to relax before she could cook dinner for the kids. Knowing her, she will probably take another bath before bed.

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  17. I take a tub bath every night and seldome use the shower.

    At one point my son was single with a king size bed. He slept on one side for two weeks, then changed to the other side for two weeks. He only had to wash sheets once a month.

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  18. Cannot sleep covered in dust & grime, shower in the evening.
    Unless camped out, then wash/bathe whenever you can.

    Now that I am a town-dweller, working under a roof all day, shower in the morning to wake up, shower in the evening to go to bed fresh.

    Unless hard at it, then shower whenever one remembers & has the time to.

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  19. In SA I showered at least once a day. Here in the UK it's every other day, though I have a full wash on the non-showering days. I just doesn't get hot and sweaty enough to waste the water. If I was working I'd shower each morning. I hardly ever shower at night, it seems a waste.

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  20. I was raised in Indonesia and we took showers in the middle of thew day. When we came in Hollansd we noticed that many Dutch people take a shower only twice a week. They stink. Fortunately my husband took a shower every morning and my children every night. I like to have a shower after getting up to feel nice and clean. In summer I take twice a day a shower. I launder my sheets every week! Interesting, isn't it??
    Blogging is great! Whenever you come in Holland again you can stay with me and take as many showers or baths as you want!! Lol!

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  21. I usually shower a couple of hours after dinner and relax in my pj's for another couple of hours before going to bed. If we have company I will leave it until right before I go to bed. In the summer when it's hot and humid I usually shower a couple of times a day. I'll also change the sheets once a week in the summer but every two weeks in the winter.

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  22. Sweet photos.
    I never understood the morning shower thing.
    They say in the winter it is more healthy not to shower frequently, in order to leave your good bacteria on your skin. That's fine with me.

    I have dark colored sheets; they last longer between launderings, haha.

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  23. I'm from Tennessee originally. My mom used to make us take baths at night when we were children and I still do my showers at night. The only time I would take a shower in the morning would be if I needed it to wake up.

    I agree about the dirty thing. I feel gross if I go to bed without washing off first.

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  24. I can't stand to go to bed dirty ...yuck.. I would feel I had to change the sheets...

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  25. I do both. Sometimes it's just really comforting to take a warm shower before bed.

    On days I exercise or work outside, however, taking a shower in the evening is a must!!

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