The last few months I've heard a few things about the downside of extreme cleanliness. One thing I heard was by daily or twice daily bathing the body is stripped clean of the protective oils on the skin that provide a "shield" from disease organisms.

Also it prevents the body from organizing the immune system to fight off those diseases.

Lastly, by cleaning the house frequently, one is over exposed to cleaning chemicals that compromise the bodys ability to fight off disease and sometimes setting off an alergic reaction.

I know someone who is neurotically clean. Theres almost a phobia to "dirt" and his house looks like no one lives there, its so neat and clean ALL the time, yet he's frequently sick. Its almost kinda funny in a perverse kinda way because I mentioned this stuff to him one day and I thot he would go into shock, stuck between the proverbial rock and a dirty place. He said he'd go nuts if his place wasn't in "showroom" condition 24/7 and I believe he would.

-- Anonymous, May 31, 2001

Answers

Hm...well, maybe. I'm sure that there has to be a protective factor in a low exposure to dirt, bacteria, etc., however, I am less certain about things like cat fur/dander, bird danders, etc. My experience with those is that in that respect, the cleaner the better. But I don't use a lot of chemical cleaners, I like the ones featuring things like peroxide, vinegar, lemon juice, etc.. When I go to my mother's house where she's had her cleaning help in, I'm sneezing and starting to itch immediately on exposure to the chemicals.

-- Anonymous, June 01, 2001

I think it's true, too much shelter from the real world is not good for people or kids. Especially air conditioning, and the over use of cleaners. Those commercials really get to me, they spray everything in the house every time someone touches it. I've seen kids who scream if there is a tiy bit of dirt on their hands, and kids who have to be spottlessly clean, clothes and all, every minute. Allot of kids today don't even go outside to play. They breath AC and cleaners from the day they are brought home. Gosh, how can you be a kid and have fun?

I remember comming in from being with my horse and friends all day riding and playing, and I was always black with dirt from head to toe. My mom would put me in the tub with Dove soap and Olive Oil in the water. I'll always remember that smell. She would never let me use any other soap than Dove. I still use it.

-- Anonymous, June 01, 2001

It's like anything, balance is the key. Too clean or too dirty is not balanced.

Namaste,

-- Anonymous, June 01, 2001

I believe that too clean can be bad. It seems that I keep hearing that the antibacterial soaps are producing more resistant bacteria which could have been dispensed with by means of regular soap and water. I like Judy's comment about balance in cleaning. I think I'll from now on claim a balanced household :)

-- Anonymous, June 01, 2001

Finally, proof that I'm not crazy. I've said all along that to much cleaning is not good for ones health! My two older sisters are clean freaks . . . the oldest cleans everything with industrial strength clorox, the smell of which would knock over a horse. Don't get me wrong, a clean house is a health house but it seems to have gone really to the extreme now and it's all do to advertising convincing people that they NEED to disinfect everything. People are so gullible.

-- Anonymous, June 01, 2001

Over washing the body IS cause for concern... But, there is an old saying about 'everything in moderation'... It wouldn't still be said if there was not any truth in it, lol!!

As for the house - I don't use a lot of 'store-bought' cleaners either... But, I clean a LOT... 4 dogs, cat, tons of bunnies on the porch - I HAVE to. Still, you can definately tell we live here!!

My thing is... I love a 'clean' house, but I'm not willing to kill myself to keep it that way -

-- Anonymous, June 01, 2001

I have a theory that one of the reasons people keep choosing the wrong person to marry/be with is that we are so deodorized, so spic and span that we often don't know what our partner truly smells like. So we do not have the "molecular" fit that ought to be the natural magnet that leads us to the right person for us and keeps us together. That chemical, pheremonical clue that lets us know we're home. And I don't mean let's all let ourselves smell like bucks rutting, but advertizing has put it into our heads that smelling like a human being is unacceptable.

-- Anonymous, June 01, 2001

Consider this: How "clean" is a place if it's polluted with chemical residues?

-- Anonymous, June 01, 2001

I can't believe that Snoozy said that! I've often thought the same thing. Why isn't acceptable to smell like a human? I wouldn't want it to get out of hand either but why isn't it OK to smell like you just naturally smell with a good soap and water bath or shower without all the fragrances and doedorants? I think a person knows when they're truly dirty and need a bath :D

-- Anonymous, June 01, 2001

I know what you mean, Denise. In fact, to me, the chemical "scents" that are in so many products smell bad. I can usually tell the difference between a synthetic perfume and a natural perfume. You know, I like the smell of lemons, but I think this all got started with lemon being added to various products. The lemon has cleaning properties, but it also smells good. Then they got away from real lemons and into synthetics, because it was cheaper, and so on!

On the other hand, the deoderant that I use is lemon-based, real lemons that is. But I agree that a shower is a better deoderant. And for years my regular routine is a shower every other day -- my skin just gets too dry, and at that, I have to use lotion all over. Interestingly, it doesn't seem to bother my skin to take a shower everyday or even twice a day in the very hot weather when I've been working up a real sweat. Maybe the sweating brings up the natural oils too?

-- Anonymous, June 01, 2001

My house is clean enough to keep out the Board of Health and dirty enough to be comfortable.

-- Anonymous, June 01, 2001

I liked your response, Dianne!! As for myself, I hate a "museum clean" house. I do admit to having to vacuum just about every day, though. I have 10 house cats so daily vacuuming is a must! Other than "litter box "duty, that's the only daily ritual for me! We also heat entirely with a wood cookstove so during the winter lots of dust accumulates which I have to get after.

-- Anonymous, June 01, 2001

Phermones might be one thing, but, you have never smelled my other half's feet after wearing work boots all day, THAT, would knock a horse off his feet!!! Body odor is sometimes just that, a bad smell that needs soap and water to remedy.

Cindy in KY, my Mom always used Dove soap too, and like you, I still use it, and have for 42 years so far, especially like the one for sensitive skin, no perfumes or additives at all, very mild.

I know this sounds gross, but I don't bathe everyday, usually just every three days or so, unless I'm baling hay or get totally green from weedeating grass, etc, but I do wash all the important "smelly" parts everyday with a soapy washcloth, this our family has done for generations, bathing everyday is not healthy for the skin or hair according to most dermatologists.

-- Anonymous, June 01, 2001

I have never used perfume and don't even use deoderant either. The only time I HAD to use deoderant was when I was packing houses in the summer, about 5 years ago, but I never wore it if it was winter. I get on Steve for using it too much, it clogs your pores. I don't use anything except lotion, not even makeup at all. And I have never colored my hair! We like to take a quick shower and hop into bed, helps those aching muscles naturally, but we don't every night.

I mop my all wood floors every morning, usually with just a bit of vinegar or bleach. I dust the furniture with a damp cloth. I don't have any cleaners at all other than vinegar and bleach. My doors and windows are open all the time other than winter. We don't use any aereosole cans at all for nothing in the house. We don't burn any sented candles, no smelly stuff at all. If someone is comming, sometimes I put cinnamon in a boiling pan of water to smell good. I don't have any alergies and neither does Steve. The only thing that will clog up my head is the dust and smoke from the woodstove, but now we have a big one outside. This last winter my head didn't clog at all. I also think that living in a cool house in the winter keeps you from getting sick. It's cold in our house and we never get sick in the winter, not even colds.

-- Anonymous, June 01, 2001

I think the advertising and marketing departments of various companies have convinced us (for years) that we need to be squeaky clean. How nice for all of them....or for you, if you are a stockholder ;-) (Proctor and Gamble comes to mind.)

I shower maybe every other day when I'm doing light work. I will shower daily if I am doing heavy (real sweaty work, or hiking or something.) I have finally accepted the fact that my hair does not need to be washed every other day (never was daily) and that it is quite acceptable looking and smells fine after 3 or 4 days (helps to have long, straight hair, too. I put it in a ponytail or something if it starts to lose loft.)

My household is always picked up and looks good, but please don't ask me when the last time was that I scrubbed the kitchen floor. I couldn't begin to remember...

-- Anonymous, June 01, 2001

One of the things that prompted this thread is, truth be told, is the other day the boss called me into the office and said one of the customers complained about me smelling sweaty. Jeeez! 96 freakin' degrees in the truck which I'd been in about 6 hrs and I'm sposed to pop out smelling like a spring flower. Its like, get real people. People sweat and when they do they smell like it!

-- Anonymous, June 01, 2001

I have a cousin who washes all her dishes with anti-bacterial dish soap and water so hot she can barely keep her hands in it. Then she sticks them in the dishwasher with more soap and runs them on the sanitize setting. Know what her job is? She's an advertising agent. She's bought her own line of BS. She also is a heavy user of hand creams to counteract all the damage she does to her hands washing the dishes before she "washes" them again. And she won't even drink tea that has set out on the cabinet uniced for more than 2 hours. She's afraid it has bacteria in it. She would have died if Y2K had come about.

-- Anonymous, June 02, 2001

That's funny about the tea -- there was just a report on the news about a study that showed that black tea was antibacterial on the plaque on your teeth (and NOT because it was hot!). Of course, you still need to brush your teeth, but drinking black tea helped prevent tooth decay. It will still stain your teeth though!

Tell the prodigious dishwasher to wear rubber gloves -- saves the hands quite a bit. I doubt that you'll change her other behaviors.

-- Anonymous, June 02, 2001

Green, Sheesh! Guess she probably doesn't make sun tea, then!

-- Anonymous, June 02, 2001

Actually, I've thought about starting a list of all her minor mental conditions. I think she may have more than me!!!! Now, that would be a comforting thought.....

-- Anonymous, June 03, 2001

Green, have her read the antibacterial soap information on the bottle. It only provides antibacterial properties when used as a hand soap undiluted. Add water and it isn't antibacterial anylonger. Well....maybe you shouldn't tell her, she will be washing her dishes with soap and no water! Vicki

-- Anonymous, June 03, 2001

Well, actually, she already does, kind of. First she squirts the antibacterial dish soap on a dish. Then she whips it around and stands there and waits 20 or 30 seconds, then she rinses the dish in the water that is nearly hot enough to scald, then she puts it in the dishwasher. This takes her forever to wash dishes. As a result, she prefers to eat out! LOL I keep telling her that the commercially prepared food isn't as clean as the food she prepares herself, but she assures me that they all have to pass health department inspectors. I've worked in a bakery and know that you don't really have to have a clean place to pass the health inspection. Still, I think it's really kind of funny. Sad, but funny at the same time. That poor soul is now 50 years old and has managed to remain virtually clueless about most of life. She isn't stupid, just intentionally oblivious. What's ever funnier, or maybe just more odd, is that she grew up in a home situation that would have probably brought down the Child Protective Services people now. We all just let her go. She's really not hurting anyone but herself.

-- Anonymous, June 04, 2001

I know that not long ago... an article was put out by the British that their children were being "clean".... and more sicknesses were the result... and I want to say it was colon distribances.. due to a lack of dirt!!!

I agree with the rest of you... my house is livable and clean enough... however, I keep finding these mutanted dust bunnies around... ;-}

-- Anonymous, June 04, 2001

Oh no!! John, the customer must have been mistaken. There is no way I can ever believe that you could smell sweaty :D I think we all like you just the way you are! I agree that this customer is expecting a bit much considering the type of work you are doing.

I can't believe someone would be willing to spend so much time doing dishes. All those steps and the amount of time spent would drive me crazy!!

-- Anonymous, June 04, 2001

Okay guys, This is something I feel very strongly about. It is not in our best interest to use antbacterial anything!!!!!!!! These over the counter soaps etc have weak antebacerial agents; Our use of them only encourages the strong bacterial to survive. We are breeding more and move resistant species simply by using these antibacterial products

Washing our hands is the best protectiom!!!!!.

-- Anonymous, June 04, 2001

I was thinking about the antibacterial soap thing too. A chemist guy I am acquainted with on another board says that he doesn't know HOW they can be allowed to market that stuff, due to all the side effects etc. I won't use it. I do use gellied alcohol on my hands after handling the pet turtle and then wash well with ordinary soap, just as a precaution, but I don't buy the antibacterial stuff. (I think he quote was "Why don't people just drink Malathion and get it over with?")

I also heard an interesting report out of the trades last night on NPR that one in ten British children are harboring 'super bugs', that is, super disease pathogens. They aren't likely to become active until that child gets weakened or injured, but then they can surface, and they are antibiotic resistant ones. The Brits are now beginning to think that there needs to be more international control on the abuse of antibiotics before we lose them entirely as effective medicine.

Hm....good luck on that one with the current administration. I also heard later in the program that Bush has now made an official decree that GMO foods be served at all White House functions and dinners, including Starlink corn, and citing that they are already proudly using milk products with bovine growth hormones added. And how's THIS one for international relations? They are debuting this new plan at the upcoming state visit of the French, who are vehemently opposed to GMO's. Man, how it that for a slap in the face? That man just has no idea of what the words 'finesse' or 'grace' mean.

-- Anonymous, June 04, 2001

Yup Denise, some folks seem to think they're better off in the make believe world that always smells like some phony scent right outa paris or a chemical lab than the real world of honest sweat. There are days when I just feel like throwing up my hands in surrender to the counterfeit way the rest of the world would seem to have us live.

-- Anonymous, June 04, 2001