A lot of what is said in the article about the British & French hygiene habits I think is generally true. I can't speak for the French but they are probably in a fairly similar position to us, namely that water costs and heating costs are high. Some properties in the UK still pay a monthly tariff for water but increasingly properties are on a water meter which means the more water you use the more you pay per water used, then the cost for heating the water.
Beyond the cost of hot water there is then the setup with houses here in the UK. Most houses in the UK aren't really set up with regular washing in mind. Most houses in the UK just still have a bathroom and that is it, along with kitchen and bedrooms. If you're lucky the Master Bedroom might have and ensuite toilet and if real lucky a shower with it. In general though few houses in the UK support easy get out of bed and have a shower situation. The more people in the household the more awkward it can be. I have extensively re-modeled my house as you know so that every bedroom here has an ensuite toilet which for a small house is not bad going. It's unusual for most UK houses though especially of this size.
So in general many people don't shower daily here to reduce the cost burden, in winter there is extra cost of heating the home and heating the home you've guessed it doesn't come cheap either. So it all adds up, if you want get undressed in a cold bathroom then it can be uncomfortable but heating it will cost more. So basically people economise and wash as far apart as possible 2-3 days up to a week even. Anything more than that is usually thought as too unhygienic even by most Brits. I think more could be done in the UK with regards to this subject and trying for a better washing situation but most Brits can't be arsed to replumb their house to make it easier for them to wash, etc.
Ukraine and probably Russia as I understand it gets cheap power from massive nuclear & hydroelectric plants so washing becomes a much cheaper thing to do there, our stuff is a fair bit smaller scale I think. I don't know how Ukraine will get on in the future though with their energy grid smashed long term and high inflation. Showering daily may fall out of favour there as a result maybe.
Or more likely UK and Frenchy's might fall out of favor as a result maybe
among FSUW. Anyone who can't afford to shower daily then FSUW are too
expensive as well.
Showering daily may fall out of favour there as a result maybe.
When I first moved to North Dakota, I lived in a camp trailer Uk people call it
a caravan. I had heated water hoses connecting the trailer to the water, for
months at a time I didn't have hot water, so I had containers that I heated
up in the microwave and the stove. So I still cleaned myself every day. Then
at least twice a week, I went down to a place where I could take a
"Hollywood shower" for a dollar per minute, which I did at least twice
per week.
Not to mention is that I am 6-7 and the shower was 6ft tall. I had to squat to
take a shower at all. That was not too much of a bother for me, because
showers are more important than a little bother or spending a few kopecks.
I had a friend of a friend who broke his leg and was going to leave North
Dakota, so I took over the lease on his house before Angel Eyes and Smiley
girl came to the USA. So there was never a day that they would have lived
in the trailer unless we decided to go camping somewhere.
I had been camping for 3 years every day in weather that got down to -40
-40F and -40C are the same so it gets really, really cold after 3 years of
camping I sort of lost interest in it somehow.
If you want an FSUW then my advice is to learn how to shower daily, brush
your teeth and wash your clothes. If you ask her she will tell you if something
needs to be washed, but if you have to ask the answer is probably yes.
Udachi!
Bill
