[SustainableTompkins] less bathing

[Margaret McCasland]

Ah, yes, the "sponge bath."  Another blast from the past, and 
definitely the key to once-a-week baths.  Important tip: use a fresh 
wash cloth every day! it should go without saying that you start at 
the top and work your way down.

The French elevated "sponge bath" to a new level when they invented the bidet.

I agree with Jan's French friend that shampoo and soap companies were 
probably behind the assumptions that we need a "full shower" every 
day.

Another downside to daily hair washing is that this also means (for 
many people) using a hair dryer every day.  Now that is a 
questionable use of coal-fired electricity.

Margaret


>My godmother, who lived to age 99 and grew up in CT, told me that when they
>were kids they were not allowed to wash their hair all winter long because
>their parents feared feared pneumonia, which was often fatal. They'd brush
>their hair and re-braid it every morning. They took a full bath only once a
>week, every Sunday morning before church -- by heating the water on their
>cast-iron wood stove, and pouring it into the clawfoot tub.
>
>When I lived in France in early 70s, one of my French friends told me he
>thought we'd been brainwashed by the shampoo and soap commercials into
>believing we needed full showers every day. He said most of the French just
>"sponge bathed" every day the necessary body areas, with a washcloth.
>
>- Jan
>