Nrealy 1/3 of People Wash Their Sheets Just Once Per Year!

Reminds me of this...

Life in the 1500's
Next time you are washing your hands and complain because the water temperature isn't just how you like it, think about how things used to be...

Here are some facts about life in the 1500's:

1) Most people got married in June because they took their yearly bath in May and still smelled pretty good by June. However, they were starting to smell, so brides carried a bouquet of flowers to hide the body odor. Baths consisted of a big tub filled with hot water. The man of the house had the privilege of the nice clean water, then all the other sons and men, then the women and finally the children--last of all the babies. By then the water was so dirty you could actually lose someone in it -- hence the saying, "Don't throw the baby out with the bath water."

2) Houses had thatched roofs--thick straw, piled high, with no wood underneath. It was the only place for animals to get warm, so all the dogs, cats and other small animals (mice rats, and bugs) lived in the roof. When it rained it became slippery and sometimes the animals would slip and fall off the roof -- hence the saying "It's raining cats and dogs."

3) There was nothing to stop things from falling into the house. This posed a real problem in the bedroom where bugs and other droppings could really mess up your nice clean bed. Hence, a bed with big posts and a sheet hung over the top afforded some protection. That's how canopy beds came into existence.

4) The floor was dirt. Only the wealthy had something other than dirt, -- hence the saying "dirt poor." The wealthy had slate floors that would get slippery in the winter when wet, so they spread thresh on the floor to help keep their footing. As the winter wore on, they kept adding more thresh until when you opened the door it would all start slipping outside. A piece of wood was placed in the entry way -- hence, a "thresh hold."

5) They cooked in the kitchen with a big kettle that always hung over the fire. Every day they lit the fire and added things to the pot. They ate mostly vegetables and did not get much meat. They would eat the stew for dinner, leaving leftovers in the pot to get cold overnight and then start over the next day. Sometimes the stew had food in it that had been there for quite a while -- hence the rhyme, "peas porridge hot, peas porridge cold, peas porridge in the pot nine days old."

6) Sometimes they could obtain pork, which made them feel quite special. When visitors came over, they would hang up their bacon to show off. It was a sign of wealth that a man "could bring home the bacon." They would cut off a little to share with guests and would all sit around and "chew the fat."

7) Those with money had plates made of pewter. Food with a high acid content caused some of the lead to leach onto the food, causing lead poisoning and death. This happened most often with tomatoes, so for the next 400 years or so, tomatoes were considered poisonous.

8) Most people did not have pewter plates, but had trenchers, a piece of wood with the middle scooped out like a bowl. Often trenchers were made from stale paysan bread which was so old and hard that they could use them for quite some time. Trenchers were never washed and a lot of times worms and mold got into the wood and old bread. After eating off wormy moldy trenchers, one would get "trench mouth."

9) Bread was divided according to status. Workers got the burnt bottom of the loaf, the family got the middle, and guests got the top, or "upper crust."

10) Lead cups were used to drink ale or whiskey. The combination would some times knock them out for a couple of days. Someone walking along the road would take them for dead and prepare them for burial. They were laid out on the kitchen table for a couple of days and the family would gather around and eat and drink and wait and see if they would wake up -- hence the custom of holding a "wake."

11) England is old and small and they started out running out of places to bury people. So they would dig up coffins and would take the bones to a "bone-house" and reuse the grave. When reopening these coffins, one out of 25 coffins were found to have scratch marks on the inside and they realized they had been burying people alive. So they thought they would tie a string on the wrist of the corpse, lead it through the coffin and up through the ground and tie it to a bell. Someone would have to sit out in the graveyard all night (the "graveyard shift") to listen for the bell; thus, someone could be "saved by the bell" or was considered a "dead ringer."

Author Unknown

this plus not having a washing machine is a pain. only one set of landlord provided sheets is also. would love to know how many of that 1/3 are poor and or living in rented property

That is really interesting. My family did extensive genealogy and some of my long ago ancestors lived in Appalachia (early to mid 1800s). There is a story about an old woman in the family doing the #5 thing- always leaving stuff in the pot and adding to it the next day.

Landlords provide sheets? I have never heard of that in the US.

I wash mine four times per year, my jeans twice per year and shower every other day, only using soap in strategic areas (no shampoo). My hair is not greasy and my skin is not oily or dry. Haven't been sick in five years and look 10 years younger than my age. Haven't had the flu shot in 25 years and haven't had the flu since then, either.

I'm a professional and a conservative and have had many long term relationships with beautiful women. Only one has taken issue with my hygiene only because she has OCD.

People who get the annual flu and Covid shots are disgusting. They are also the ones who are hyper concerned with cleanliness and are more often sick. My ex with OCD over contamination issues was sick all the time. Needless to say, I ended that relationship. Not worth the stress and her high cortisone level was likely a major factor why she was always sick, despite her obsessive compulsive cleaning with disinfectants.

Comparing basic generally hygiene to getting vaccinations? Bit of a stretch.

I don’t understand your reason and apparent pride in not baiting nor cleaning your sheets on a more regular basis. Are you trying to prove a point? Save money on water?

I’m sry but that’s just gross, I don’t care how many women you’ve been with who think you are amazing. Sweat and bacteria accumulate daily, you lay your dirty ass in the same spread you don’t clean for months? That’s gross dude.

Comparing basic generally hygiene to getting vaccinations? Bit of a stretch.

I don’t understand your reason and apparent pride in not baiting nor cleaning your sheets on a more regular basis. Are you trying to prove a point? Save money on water?

I’m sry but that’s just gross, I don’t care how many women you’ve been with who think you are amazing. Sweat and bacteria accumulate daily, you lay your dirty ass in the same spread you don’t clean for months? That’s gross dude.

Dude, you only know because I told you and are subject to your preconceived notions. I spend six hours in bed with clean underwear and don't seat. Pull your bedding back, open your windows, let the light shine in, daily. Nothing kills bacteria better than the sun.

I have a life and would rather do other things with my time than obsessively clean and do laundry. It's boring and unnecessary.

Cleaning your sheets bi weekly is hardly obsessively cleaning cmon now man. To each is own I suppose I just think that’s gross. It’s not like these basic forms of hygiene are that entailing. You know, people do own washers and dryers and can wash their sheets while doing other shit.

Landlords provide sheets? I have never heard of that in the US.

Maybe a lot of the people who find it such a hassle have to go to laundromats. That would be a pain and very different than doing laundry in your home.

Once a year get a box of baking soda and sprinkle it on your mattress generously. Rub it in and let sit for 24 hours. Vacuum.

Herein lies the reason I don't sleep naked either. Nasty.

I like clean bedding. It's easier to sleep in.

Just bathe, shower, or wipe yourself with a damp cloth and it's fine. I sleep naked all the time.

"Wipe and wipe 'til the brown leaves town."

OK, so this is the UK, but I don't suppose it's much different here in the states. I thought it was just normal to wash your sheets every week - two at the most. And 18% only wash their jeans once per year? Don't they ever do any gardening, fence-fixing, mowing...?


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That is just so gross. Sometimes once a weeks not enough!