Hygiene expert claims we 'don't have to shower at all' to stay clean

10.11.2022 - 21:11 / dailyrecord.co.uk

For most people, the first thing they do in the morning is take a shower to feel refreshed and clean for the day ahead.

In contrast, others prefer to wait until the end of day before taking one to help wind down. But one expert is here to explain why bathing is actually "not important" to stay clean and only gets rid of "nasty" but harmless body odour.

Professor Sally Bloomfield of the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, claims that when it comes to staying hygienic, showering every day isn't necessary. The health guru added that it is mainly done to be "socially acceptable" but doesn't benefit our health.

Professor Bloomfield - who backed the Government's hand washing campaign at the height of the Covid pandemic - explained that over washing can actually strip the body of an important self-regulating microbes that maintain oil levels on the skin, reports the Mirror.

Speaking to BBC Radio 5 Live Breakfast, she said: “In my opinion we don't need to bathe and shower every day. In fact, we don't need to bathe and shower at all. There are microbes on our body that produce nasty odours but they're not harmful to us.

“And the reason we bathe and shower is that we want to get rid of those odours and we want to feel comfortable. That's fine — but as far as preventing disease, it's really not important.”

Professor Bloomfield added: “We do it in the summer to get rid of sweat, to make us feel more comfortable. But we also have some harmless bugs that set up home in places that are dark and moist and they break down sweat and they break down urine to produce nasty odours, which make us unacceptable to other people.

“So those are the reasons that we mainly shower ourselves.”

The hygiene expert explained that bodies have