This month, in our series on what really goes on in a home, Clare Gogerty considers bathing and the pleasures of keeping clean.
Turn to page 116 of April's The Simple Things for the full feature.
Make the most of your shower
The mere experience of standing beneath a steady stream of falling warm water is pretty joyful and can be enough to revive and soothe. Especially if you sing while you’re about it. But there are a couple of things you can do to make the most of your shower time, so that you emerge ever more squeaky clean and sprightly.
❊ Keep the temperature moderate. It is tempting to crank it up and watch your skin turn rosy, but too-hot water dries out the skin. Somewhere between 95F and 100F is about right.
❊ Hang a bunch of fresh eucalyptus near the shower. It will release essential oils as the bathroom steams up. Eucalyptus is a good cleanser, helps fight bacteria and smells lovely.
❊ Apply conditioner to damp hair and then put on a shower cap. Continue to wash as the conditioner works its miracles. Then rinse it off.
❊ Avoid shower curtains if at all possible, as they have a propensity to get mouldy and cling creepily to your skin. If you can’t avoid one, wash it regularly with a couple of old hand towels and half a cup of white vinegar to prevent mildew.
For more on bathing traditions, our pick of the best bathroom cabinets, towels 101, a word on flannels, the definitive answer on why your skin wrinkles, plus eight extra somethings for the smallest room, turn to page 116 of April's The Simple Things.
Read more:
