How to Wash Your Body According to Statistics

Everyone has a certain way of washing their body. Whether it’s consciously or not, we all scrub away at our skin in a precise and particular way. From the top down or vice versa, each of us has a finely tuned, well-oiled cleaning process for getting our bodies squeaky clean.

But is there a ‘correct’ way? 

Of course, we’re not here to lecture you on things like how to wash your bum properly in the shower or how to clean your belly button, but we are going to reveal if you’re doing it in the right order (according to our statistics!).

In a recent Plumbworld survey, we asked our customers a series of questions about how they wash their bodies and which way is correct to stay fresh. We managed to unearth some truly revealing (and at times, truly disturbing) answers about how they wash their bodies.

Is there a Correct Order?

The classic nursery rhyme ‘head, shoulders, knees, and toes’ could be a good indicator for when it comes to hygiene methods, but would it be the correct order? From the results we collected, the obvious winner for which body part to wash first was evident…

The Head!

The head was a stand-out favourite. With over 50% of people stating they wash their bodies from the head downwards, our noggins take pride of place as the perfect cleaning starting point. There’s also no surprise that actively washing hair came out at 57%.

On the flip side, a large proportion of people will miss out washing their ears, with 34% saying ears are neglected in the cleaning routine.

Shoulders and Arms

Reaching the shoulders and arms, it seems this area of our bodies has some particular attention, too. With 65% of our survey takers proactively washing under their armpits, it seems scrubbing our pits after a sweaty day is an essential part of washing.

Stomach

Moving down to the stomach, our survey revealed an unsettling statistic on a particularly neglected area. Only a third of people (precisely 36%) said they wash their belly buttons! That means the rest of Plumbworld’s customers are walking around right now with untouched, uncleaned belly buttons…

Genitals

Genitals seem to (thankfully) be one of the most important parts of our bodies to clean. With 65% of survey takers stating they actively wash their genitals; these areas seem to take the limelight when it comes to a clean. What’s more, 59% of people also stated they like to keep their bums nice and fresh, too!

Legs

Reaching our legs, an arguably surprising amount of people take a keen interest in washing below the knee, with 37% of people saying they wash their shins when they shower.

Feet and Toes

The final stop are feet and toes. These appendages are woefully neglected from a thorough clean, as only 49% of people stated they wash their feet in the shower. What’s more alarming, an eye-watering 60% of customers admitting to completely missing out washing their toes! From these stats, it’s clear to see why starting from the feet up is a Plumbworld customer’s no go.

Although the order of our washing habits poses an interesting topic of discussion, some additional statistics highlight the impact region, gender and even marital status has on our washing habits…

Peeing in the Shower

The age-old debate of whether peeing in the shower is gross or genius will probably never be resolved, but with that being said, overall, 14% of people who took our survey admitted to peeing in the shower, with men being the biggest culprits at 17%.

Day vs Night

Whether you enjoy an invigorating shower to start your morning off or a relaxing soak after a long day, deciding when to have a shower will vary from person to person. But how much of it is driven by gender? Our statistics showed that women were more likely to shower or bathe in the evenings (33%), as opposed to men (26%) but overall, it was clear that morning showers is favoured by all genders.

To Shower or not to Shower?

After a long, hot soak in a soothing bath, do you ever get the feeling that you’re bathing in your own filth? Is the relaxing bubble-filled tub actually that clean? It seems a percentage of married people think so! 33% of people who were married said they would shower after having a bath, whereas only 14% of those who were separated or divorced agreed.

Region may play a crucial part in showering after a bath too, as 59% of people from London also agreed!

The Cleanest Region

Where you come from could also determine how clean you truly are. Overall, London came in top place as the cleanest region in the UK, boasting a huge 70% of people showering every day compared to a nationwide total of 52%! Some even dabble in a second shower, coming to a respectable 18%.

53% of those from London also said they had showered or bathed while another person was in the room with them, with the national average being 37%. You could argue that their lack of coyness makes Londoners even cleaner!

If you found this post useful, you might also like - Toilet seats: should you leave them up or down? - 16 Things You Should Never Flush Down The Toilet - What Do We Do in the Bathroom?


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