Podcast Summary: What's That Rash?

Episode Title: Can you get away with skipping your daily shower?
Date: January 14, 2025
Host: ABC News (Tegan Taylor & Norman Swan)

Overview

In this episode, the hosts tackle a quintessentially personal and much-debated health question: Is it really necessary to shower every single day? Drawing from history, microbiology, dermatology, cultural norms, and environmental concerns, Tegan Taylor and Norman Swan discuss whether daily showers are a health necessity or more a matter of social conditioning. Listener questions and misconceptions are addressed, with candid anecdotes and a healthy dose of humor.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Listener’s Question: Is Daily Showering Necessary?

[01:23]

• Ingrid writes in, admitting she often skips daily showers (especially in winter), sometimes re-wears clothes, yet stays healthy.
  • She does clarify: she always wears clean underwear and notes her habits exclude teenagers, those doing heavy exercise, and people in hot weather.

2. Cultural and Historical Context

[02:12]

• Norman emphasizes hygiene is deeply cultural:
  • "When I think about it, I think about wanting to appear groomed, which is a cultural thing. Wanting to not smell, which is a social thing, wanting to feel clean, which I think is something that we’re probably conditioned to. And then like, pretty low down on the list is any true health motivation."
    — Norman Swan [02:19]
• Personal hygiene practices throughout history:
  • Most cultures historically did not practice full-body wet bathing—not due to morality but resource and health risks (dirty water).
  • Ritual baths (e.g., Roman baths, Middle Eastern hammams) were social, not just hygienic.
  • Religious and class beliefs: Some nun orders avoided whole-body washing for reasons seen as moral or health-based.

3. The Rise of Soap and Cleanliness

[06:00–07:06]

• Cleanliness as moral superiority, tied to 20th-century Western notions (e.g., "cleanliness is next to godliness") and workplace proximity trends.
• Capitalist influence—soap and hygiene products marketed for profit by leveraging social self-consciousness.
  • "If you make people feel self conscious about something, you can sell them a product."
    — Norman Swan [06:46]
• Historical belief in some peasant classes: dirt as protective, sweat as cleansing, and body odor as a sign of health/virility.

4. What Soap Does (and What Dermatologists Say)

[07:39–10:05]

• Soap emulsifies (breaks down) the natural oils (and some bacteria) on the skin; helpful for pathogens, but can disrupt the skin’s microbiome.
  • Protective oils and "commensal" bacteria can be lost.
  • "Dermatologists strongly argue that you should use non soap cleansers. And in fact some would argue that you can use something like sorboline to clean yourself..."
    — Tegan Taylor [10:31]
• Frequent soap use: May increase risk of skin conditions (e.g., eczema, infections), especially if it causes over-drying and skin breakdown.

5. Health Risks and Benefits: When to Shower (and When Not to)

[08:21–09:31]

• The need for hygiene changes based on environment:
  • In clean, urban environments with regular clothing/linen changes, less showering is often fine.
  • In hot, humid, or less sanitary environments, pathogens thrive—washing more often can prevent infections (e.g., strep, staph, trachoma).
• Daily handwashing (especially after bathroom use and before food) is non-negotiable.

6. Cultural and Climate Influences on Bathing Frequency

[10:55]

• Shower frequency varies by country and climate:
  • Japan, China, UK: ~5/week; Brazil: ~12/week (climate plays a big role)
• Social acceptance also sways perception—if you look clean, people assume you are clean.

7. “No Soap, No Problem?”

[12:18–13:33]

• Some claim the body “adjusts” if you stop soaping—though there’s a “deconditioning” period of oiliness or odor.
  • "Let’s be honest. They probably stink to high heaven."
    — Tegan Taylor [12:33]
• Evidence is thin on whether skin microbiomes really recover/adapt, but most agree: over-washing is likely unnecessary, under-washing is only risky in certain contexts.

8. Environmental Considerations

[13:33–14:16]

• Showering habits and product use have environmental impacts: water use, chemical runoff, microplastics.
  • "So I’m not saying that us all not showering twice a day is going to save the planet, but it’s not a zero impact habit."
    — Norman Swan [13:49]
• General conclusion: “For the good of the planet, probably once is enough [per day].” — Tegan Taylor [14:16]

9. Practical Advice: What’s the Minimum?

[14:37–15:01]

• Skipping the odd day won’t hurt most people, especially in clean, cool environments.
• Key pieces of advice:
  • Wash clothes regularly as they pick up odors.
  • Always wash hands before food and after toilet use.
  • Clean underwear daily is smart.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• "Cleanliness is in the nose of the beholder." — Norman Swan [14:33]
• "Wash your hands, you filthy animals." — Norman Swan [15:01]
• "I do like that idea that your body odour is somehow connected to your sexual power." — Norman Swan [07:01]
• "If you look clean, people think you are clean." — Tegan Taylor [11:54]

Timestamps for Key Segments

• [01:23] Listener Ingrid’s question: Do I have to shower daily?
• [02:12] Cultural and personal motivations for showering.
• [03:35] A historical view: Hygiene pre-modern era.
• [06:00] The morality and capitalism of “cleanliness.”
• [07:39] How soap works & dermatologists’ advice.
• [08:21] Good bacteria vs. pathogens; disease prevention.
• [10:55] Global and climate differences in shower frequency.
• [12:18] The myth of “deconditioning” away from soap.
• [13:33] Environmental costs of showering.
• [14:37] Final advice: Can you skip showers? (Yes, sometimes.)
• [15:01] Universal tips: Clean clothes, handwashing.
• [15:13] Tangential follow-up: Blue Zones and the Mediterranean Diet (brief segment).

Takeaways

• Skipping a daily shower is usually fine for healthy adults, especially outside of hot/humid conditions or strenuous activity.
• Hand hygiene and clean clothes are more fundamental to health than full-body washing.
• Soap can be over-used; consider gentle, non-soap cleansers to protect your skin’s natural barrier.
• Historical and cultural factors shape our shower habits much more than health science alone.
• Environmental impact is real—every shower and soap bottle has a footprint.
• When in doubt: Wash hands, change undies, and shower as needed for comfort, climate, and culture.