MIT Engineer: "I haven't showered in 12 years" -Uses Bacteria Spray to Keep Clean

a reply to: ghostrager

I've had to go for periods of not bathing, I guess at some point even without the smell factor,etc you just have to get the ick feeling off, only accomplished by bathing. Just me though

On a side note , is it just me or does this guy look like he could be a member of D Cheney's family?

a reply to: ghostrager

Well, that's interesting to think about in case the Zombie Apocalypse ever arises and running water will be a thing of that past. But until then, I'm gonna stick with my showers and soap.

And give up the joy of a bath or shower? Never.

Besides, we get enough chemicals on our skin just being 1. in the house 2. Outside

Who wants to spray a bunch of chemicals on their skin? This guy is sort of gross.

I do not take a shower to kill bacteria. I take a shower so I do not smell like a pile of gym socks.


Number of showers in the past 12 years for this guy probably equal the number of long term relationships he has had.

I dont use soap or shampoo unless I have to.

Some folk say think 'ewww gross!' when they see visible dandruff but they themselves swim in dead skin cells every time they go to bed. Every time your friends gets an itch and scratches themselves, his or her dead skin cells are released into the room and you will breathe them in. Gross indeed.

The old saying goes 'cleanliness is next to godliness' and I don't think that's true. We wonder why kids are constantly sick, maybe it's because their immune system are lax due to overt cleanliness. IMO Let your kids bathe in mud and eat their own snot, maybe that's evolution's way of saying 'toughen up' and maybe their immune system could be bolstered by exposure.

But nowadays if you child is playing in the mud you are deemed negligent and unfit for parenthood.

I have a bath-shower (bath followed by a shower) twice a week if I'm off work - daily if I'm working.

I know from the scum on the bathwater that this is a timely intervention...if anyone were to drink a cupful of that they wouldn't feel too good. What the scientist doesn't address is the fats and dead skin.

a reply to: ghostrager
Pretty sure that guy is single and does not get many repeat dates.

I for one am taking advantage of the luxuries we have, running water, hot showers, electricity. Perhaps this spray can be used more for space travel?

a reply to: QuietSpeech

Perhaps this spray can be used more for space travel?

If we found bacteria in space, wouldn't NASA be screaming we've found "alien life"? lol.

his job at MIT as a test subject must have been 'interesting' to say the least..

originally posted by: TechniXcality
a reply to: ghostrager

Well, no matter what he says we know he doesn't have a girlfriend.


Son: no mommy! I don't want to take a bath!

Mom: get in here right,now take your clothes off,and get in this tub!

Son: when I grow up, I'm going to be an engineer and figure out the hard problem of this bathtub business! Then you'll never catch me in the water!

Mom: smiles; ok, sweety whatever you say, close your eyes and tilt your head up here comes the water!

You know... I could understand avoiding chemicals and taking a shower atleast in the ocean or river, since.. afterall... salt or natural minerals does seem to provide some benefits and cleaning, even if you smell like ocean salt the rest of the day. But atleast you would feel, naturally clean. (though the sand on your body would be annoying, however, ive seen some soap with sand embedded that scrubs the skins a bit cleaner.) so, are we really dirty with ocean salt or beach sand on us?

I cannot imagine, NOT feeling water on my skin when it does.. provide a soothing sensation. But hey... to each their own i suppose lol. But the article did make me curious on the nature of bacteria. Almost everything in nature has its purpose in the ecosystem, but man tends to second guess nature.

Everything does have a purpose, just like the bees has its purpose so does bacteria.

It makes you wonder doesn't it? Should we think twice before using anti bacterial soap?

he must be an introvert, so, must have a lot of cool conversations with his bacterias!

I haven't used soap on my face for years, just good old water and a scrub withy sponge. Ever since I stopped my skin has become more healthy, no blemishes,spots or blackheads. My skin has even become younger looking.

Washing your hair everyday is also quite bad for it, no matter how many added vitamins the shampoos have in(they don't actually do anything).

However in modern times when you go outside you do get covered in pollution and car fumes, so of course my body gets a good scrub with soap.

Don't get me started on how unhygienic having a bath is.

a reply to: Nexttimemaybe

I will admit that on these things I have been on the luck side. Never had a weight issue and can count the number of zits on one hand in 40 plus years. That's just splashing water on my face, no scrub..nothing.

As far as the bath, hey I'm sure his co workers and the ladies dig it. It if works for everyone so be it. But just no when it comes to me.

a reply to: SoulSurfer

a lot of islanders have a perfect environment for washing up in the surf cocanut oil to prevent dried-out skin probably a lot more environmentally friendly today than the piped in water we use today in the shower with bottled soaps which eventually get into the environment

I used to have a Rastafarian sit near me in school and his/their habit of not washing their hair with anything other than water with the theory that after a while the hair's natural oil's would somehow do this instead.Even as an early teenager when personal hygiene isn't always as much of a priority as it is in adult life,this guy's hair odour was bad enough that no one wanted to sit near him.

Camping as well when cut off from the normal amenities such as showers with flowing water when all that's available to clean yourself with are wet wipes and waterless shampoo,you sort of feel a bit fresher afterwards.But even after as thorough a rub down as possible,there are still some parts that eventually start to get a bit 'crusty'.

originally posted by: Cinrad
I heard a story about a geologist who had to go 3 weeks without a shower or bath. After 2 weeks of stinking and a rash his skin came good and the smell went away. The Spartans would rub oil on their bodies and scrape it off. I spent time in Mozambique and i am sure many of the people living in the slums did not shower, there was a bit of a bo smell but not to bad that you would turn your nose up even in the crowded "busses".

I would imagine the body would balance the odors eventually it also has to do with what we eat cause I really stink after eating onions/garlic.I think our bodies over compensate for all the perfumes,deodorants we slather on...Just for this reason I've given up antibacterial soaps in my house as I think they do more harm than good in the long run.I just can't give up showers/bathing though it's not just getting clean but I feel like a new person after showering.

It's one thing to oversterilize and hamper our immune system but ti's another to overtrust nature and go back to the stone age. Lots of illnesses/diseases occur in developing countries because of polluted water and drinking it (or maybe bathing in it) and other hygiene problems.

Comparing a developed nation to a developING nation is a stretch, though. Nobody is going to be bathing in the same water they use to go to the bathroom and wash their dishes in a developed nation, unless they acquire the technology to do that--meaning it's safe. There's no way to make a developed nation developING again without a disaster.

EDIT: And speaking of washing dishes.... It was common practice in the old days to not use soap when washing dishes and to just dump them all in one pot with some "clean" water and "wash" off the grime. Technically this is similar to how dishwashing machines work. They actually reuse the same water, except they use soap and the water is hot.

Also want to mention wigs were sometimes used in europe after the 16th century to cover bald spots, but also to make it easier to deal with head lice since sometiems it could be a real threat.

Also want to add when I was in HS I routinely only showered once a week. And I was very active. I sweated a lot. I did get complaints, especially when I chose not to wash my clothes and reused them.

Homeless people tend to bath less because of $$$ and availability concerns. Somehow not bathing has to be a sign of wealth and intelligence instead of scarcity or things associated with poverty.

a reply to: Imagewerx

usually unless you're alone your friends will let you know when you need to pay more attention to personal grooming unless they just dont care for whatever reasons

Yuh need to exfoliate regularly and get all the dead skin off...end of!

Man no way I could even consider this! I love Taco truck super burritos way too much. What do you do after a rather nasty case of a$$ blasting from not so gut friendly food? Just rub a little dirt on the mess below? Sometimes a shower is needed to clean things up.....hell sometimes a power washer would be preferred!

Yum....burrito! Off to the taco truck I go