Thursday, December 29, 2011

Sponges and Soap?


So one little comment on my Bilingual kids post awesomely diverted all the attention away from the actual post. I was going to join in with the comments but instead decided to give this question my utmost attention:

"Totally off topic (sorry) but do Brazilian people use loofah sponges (those round fluffy things) when they shower or just their hands? I always hear that brazilians smell good so I want to know what to ide :D?"

In my days in Rio de Janeiro, I have seen very few loofah sponges in peoples' homes. Then again, I'm married so I have been in very few "foreign" showers if you know what I mean. 

They do have these sponges here. They give them away for free with liquid soap sometimes. The thing about them though is that they mold due to the humidity in our bathrooms. Hell, it's almost humid in our fridges, you can only imagine how warm, moldy, and nasty the bathrooms can get if you don't stay on top of them. 

Anyway, from what I have seen, via the one Brazilian I am showering with, they use their hands to wash. The good smell comes from their constant showers. At least in the big cities it seems that Brazilians always shower daily. You may say, who doesn't, but I can name plenty of Americans who openly don't. I suppose it's a chilly/dry skin factor.

When it comes to summer, and even in the "winter", Brazilians shower more than once a day. Hell, if my husband takes a bus, he showers when home. It is one of his Neurosis. Even I have adopted the twice a day shower, although I use one as a rinse off and one staring soap. My mental count has Brazilians taking an average of 3 showers on a hot day. 

Seriously, Brazilians are shower freaks. It's so bad that pediatricians are making a effort to "educate" parents about how it's bad for the skin to wash with soap more than once a day. Duh. 

My question is, why no washcloths. You'd think that shower obsessed people would fall in love with the mini-towels of my country. Is it another mold issue or do washcloths actually suck?

37 comments:

  1. Loofa sponges are available at any pharmacy and often at ourdoor markets. Prices vary wildly, so shop around...

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  2. Wash cloths are gross, that is why. When I went to school in Paris, I lived with a French family, and they gave me a wash cloth. I was very, very grossed out. They, on the other hand, were surprised that my Brazilian-raised self wanted to shower every single day, even in the winter.


    Brazilians do use loofahs, but only to exfoliate. Mostly, you get clean with water, soap and your hands.

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  3. Wash cloths are like giant bacteria singles bars......
    Yuk!

    @davidjhatcher

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  4. We just pick the loofah- it grows naturally on our farm! Here in town, we use those spongey/gauzey things. I like washcloths, but they dry in Northern California. Here, they just get stinky, so we use them for cleaning shoes, wiping up spills outside, things like that.

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  5. That's true, we're addicted to baths. We also have another obssession - wash hands.

    Washcloths really sucks, since it can be well replaced by face towels - and I think it happens in most restrooms here.

    @Jim Yes, the loofah sponges are easy to find, but you'll rarely see a brazilian using one.

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  6. we use bath sponges. i bring back a truck load from the dollar store. Humidity is a problem in Rio and other coastal towns, but it's not a problem really at all in the interior. our air is pretty damn dry most of the time. i just toss it every month and get out a new one. i like them better because my husband uses the soap bar straight in the water and it disappears like a jolly rancher.

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  7. I could never understand how those wash cloths are used.

    Actually, the first time that I got in US I didn't have an idea what those stuff were - especially because they came in small packs, some so nicely wrapped. They were too small to be used to wash your hands, but it was not to be used in the kitchen, as it was on ailes related to bath.

    When I read about that latter I could have an idea, but I could never ask how they used that stuff, as I knew that I would start to laugh. Do people use it through their whole body instead of bathing with 'real' water? If that's what is for, well, that's gross...

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  8. In Spain as well, wash cloths are not really used. My bf uses a sponge.

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  9. Shower every day is an understatement for most cariocas, especially in the summer. They shower when they wake up and shower anytime they come back from being outside, even if they are planning to go out again 30min later.

    I'd say the good smell also comes from all the lotions they have to use to balance out all the skin drying soap and showers.

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  10. I never used wash cloths. Strange conversation, I am intrigued. Loofahs are suppose to be "in" , so I thought. I was raised using one. Well, most Brazilian bathrooms in Campinas will have a loofah. My MIL buys them in bulk.

    I don't use it everyday, but my husband does.

    I think the idea of a wash cloth, is that "john" doesn't put the soap on the private parts. Then later cousin "Mary" does the same thing. And so on. I think it's for not putting the soap up the butt and passing it. I'm pretty sure a wash cloth is just for one use and gets washed.

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  11. I am cracking up reading the "Down with the wash clothes!" comments. I know this is how my Brazilian side of the family is, so I always bring them with me. I do not feel clean enough if I don't use one or a scrubby puff (you know -- not the LOOFAH loofah, but the softer ones). I think it all comes down to how you were raised. If you grow up only washing with your hands, then that is what is wonderful AKA the best in your book; for us Americans we mostly grew up using wash clothes or whatnot, so that is how we measure "clean feeling". As for wash clothes being gross... that's why you wash them after wards. We had a basket growing up where could toss our used wash clothes and another where we could grab a new one. I guess that just adds one more thing to a more-difficult laundry situation though.

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  12. I guess Brazilians are good with their hands!!!!!!

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  13. Most brazilians I know use loofah and they ALL shower AT LEAST twice a day.... morning and evening. Sometimes in the afternoon also.

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  14. With all the distractions at my apartment at the moment, I totally missed the paragraph about the numerous showers (especially during the summer).

    Going to add it now :)

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  15. Btw, I am getting the whole nasty washcloth thing but it really is the best tool for getting kid dirt of knobby knees and feet bottoms!

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  16. If i dont wash With a loofah on my underarms then i'll smell lol

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  17. haha, this is funny because we just came back from the grocery store where my (Brazilian) husband said, "oh look a loofah.....ugh it's too expensive". We just use our hands. Neither of us were ever fans of washcloths. In the States I used the soft "scrubs" to wash but I haven't seen (m)any here.

    I also noticed that Brazilians have very good hygiene and smell good. In Manaus it's so hot and humid ALL the time that people are accustomed to showering 3-5 times a day (I know I did). There was even a shower at work and we used it when we worked all day.

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  18. Oh my friends,
    Come to the Mojave Desert, no mold or fungal issues here. However loofa sponges and hand towels will not suffice, a shower brush is required. That is if you really want to be clean.

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  19. I agree. My Brazilian showers at least two times every single day! It drove me crazy at first (whoa, control freak!) but I have gotten used to it. I live in the midwestern USA and I don't know anyone here who showers twice a day. A lot of people I know shower every other day but when my Brazilian and I started living together, I don't think he was feeling my once-a-day shower habit.

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  20. So far I not found one consumer report regarding sponges in Brazil. So yeah, I am bummed.
    I did find this http://donafilo.wordpress.com/2009/10/14/esponja-vegetal/
    which is a post about sponge baths, and in the thread of comments the sponges below came very well recommended.
    http://www.manoella.net/banho_higiene.php

    Ths comment box is amusing as it features a bunch of chicks detailing their sponge use during showers. This could lead certain people to leave uncanny comments there. Now I am not pointing fingers here (Alex), but let's keep it clean ( much like my puns).

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  21. Rexona roll on rocks!

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  22. I think Brazilians are obsessed with the way they (and other things) smell. I read on the other post's comments about people always smelling the soap before they buy it. Well, I was in the shampoo aisle today an I swear 10 women were in it opening shampoo bottles and spraying deodorant, and sniffing soap bars all to get smell of what they were buying. I almost died. I have even seen this in the cleaning Aisle. My MIL opens and smells every cleaner before she buys it. It's funny to me.

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  23. I don't think Brazilians smell particularly good. I guess it may be because I hate perfume/cologne and that's what most of them smell like. Every time a Brazilian uses the passenger seat of our car, I have to wash the seat belt with soap and alcohol afterwards because otherwise the smell of cologne gets in my hair. When women pick up my toddler, it'll be a hair-washing night at bathtime for my little one to get rid of the smell.

    Some Brazilians have b.o. too--we had a nanny for a couple months who smelled so bad my husband couldn't stand being in the house at the same time as her, and he had to air out the house after she left.

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  24. Adrienne - LOL. I'm glad you could relate to my post about the sniffing thing. I still crack up when my wife/inlaws smell the same soap, same brand, same scent every time before they buy. I just got a brainstorm. I am going to import cheap scratch and sniff books to Brazil.

    I still stand by my "we don't need no stinkin' sponges" remark. Everyone in the family uses their hands - not sponges. I don't mean to harsh the pro sponge crew's mellow.

    Alex - yes, at least Cariocas are very blessed with dexterous skills among others.....LOL.

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  25. Someone told me that the only People who use bar soaps are People that cant afford showergel but i doubt that

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  26. I agree with Rachel, though....there's nothing like a washcloth to get dirt off when you are washing a kid!

    Bittersweet- when we say washcloths, we're talking about little squares made exactly like a towel, but about 6x6 inches, used for washing in the shower/bath, not the moist towelettes/baby wipes people use for wiping bottoms!

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  27. Well maybe we could also discuss shower gel vs. bar of soap! my brazilian bf prefers the soap bar and likes to rub it all over his hairy chest..ha ha!

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  28. What a clean conversation haha...

    You know, I really can't make an overview about the usage of sponges in Brazil. I never visited most brazilian states like Amazonas or Minas Gerais, but I can say that in the cities I know (Fortaleza, Belém, Rio, São Paulo, Natal and Salvador), based on the families of my friends, only the hands are used to bath.

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  29. Our shower puof molds very quickly. Washcloths were something of my childhood that should stay in dry climates. I've used loofahs before, but it's been a while. But I do know they sell lots of them at the Mercado Central in Belo Horizonte. Rachel, did you know that this would be topic for much conversation/comments? I'm amazed.

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  30. No wash cloths for me for many, many years. Hands, loofa and long shower brush for those hard reach places on my back (and bottoms of my feet). Give me a triple milled bar of herbal/spicy smelling soap over shower gel anyday!

    (This is one weird conversation!)

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  31. @Greg
    Regarding your "we don't need no stinkin' sponges" remark, which was inspired by a scene in Blazing Saddles, wouldn't you say that the "boy is he strict" line is just as good yet hasn't obtained the same recognition?

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bcokL59jeqU

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  32. I've always thought washcloths are gross! We have a loofah, but my husband does just as well without one. I particularly need it for my feet (along with a pedegg).

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  33. Brasilicana - I love my PedEgg. My husband is using it as we speak.

    Adrienne - I remember seeing women in Manaus smelling every bar of soap before choosing a few. It makes sense though in a city like Manaus. You sweat so much that you need constant showers and good smelling soaps. Works for them.

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  34. So they Can afford showergel bit use barsoap simply because they like it more? I didnt know people had b.o in brazil, or i mean obviously i know that everyone doesnt smell roses but yeah.. in summer time i sometimes find myself stink a little even though i showered with a loofah and showercreme the night before plus applied a stick deodorant that morning. so i started wondering if i perhaps was using the wrong method, and i mean as a Girl you want to smell good so i thought why not ask brazilians they live in a hot country and ive read of People who has been there that brazilians smell good.. so yeah .. but thanks for all ofyour answers ill try barsoap :)

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  35. I live in Puerto Rico, and it's very similar here to in Brazil. Puerto Ricans shower several times a day, and have a general obsession with personal appearance. I think most wash with hands and soap too (at least the bf does). I always feel judged when I said that in the States we only shower generally once a day, and I sometimes shower every other day in the winter because my skin dries out too much! But now after living here for a while, especially if I'm outside a lot, I'm starting to get it.

    I've been reading your blog for a while (this is my first comment) and I love it! You have such a great sense of humor!

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  36. I am brazilian and have always used sponges (very similar to the ones people use to do the dishes, minus the scouring part). My entire family too, as far as I've gathered by peeking at their bathrooms.

    And yes, I buy soaps and shower gels by the smell. :) I don't give a toss about how am I going to smell afterwards (probably I won't smell of anything, since the stuff doesn't linger), I just want a nice experience while I'm showering! I wouldn't want to buy something that smells like a rat dead for a week to rub all over my body. :)

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  37. I don't get what's gross about a washcloth - you use it then wash it, it's no different from a towel?

    I have to use something - a wash cloth or one of those net-scrubber thingies - to feel clean. Soap and hands just doesn't exfoliate enough.

    Now loofahs, sponges and other scrubbers - they will grow bacteria, so I have a bunch of them, and toss the used ones through the wash with bleach each week.

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