Day 1: The Sponge Bath

Many houses, and fairly sized houses too, are destitute of a bath, and if there is no room for the erection of one, or if the means for having it built are not forthcoming, it becomes necessary to see what cheap and efficient substitute can be made. A sponge bath, or large tub, with a bucket of water and a good-sized sponge, can readily be obtained, even in the most humble dwelling, and answers as well as can be wished. When the body is simply sponged over with tepid water it makes one of the mildest baths that can be taken; but those who are in ordinary health can well lather them selves over with soap and cold water, and then wash it off with some squeezes of the sponge copiously wetted with the water.

Philip E. Muskett, The Art of Living in Australia (1893)

Chapter 3 Ablution - the Skin and the Bath.
(Accessed via: http://ebooks.adelaide.edu.au/)

The internet truly is an amazing thing. You want to know how to make 19th century damson preserves? Google it. You want to know how to bone a bodice? Google it. You want to know how to spin flax? Google it.

Thus, skills and knowledge that may have been previously locked away in dusty tomes on the shelves of libraries are now accessible to anyone, anywhere - and often come accompanied by a Youtube video tutorial.

But when it came time for me to master the ancient art of sponge-bathing, I turned my back on the copious advice available to me on the web and I decided to wing it.

I've developed my own method.

1. I filled a basin with warm water.
2. I washed my face with plain water, then used my cleanser and a wipe.
3. I applied soap to a damp washcloth and lathered up all over. (One of Megan's handknitted washcloths would be perfect for this job, but alas, I have not been the lucky recipient of her washcloth largess - instead I used a regular towelling one.)
4. I wet the second washcloth in the basin and removed the soap from my skin. I rinsed this washcloth in the basin every few seconds and didn't wring it out.
5. The process took around five minutes from start to finish - slightly more than a four-minute shower.

I'll finesse this method over the week. For a start, I'll move the basin into the shower, as Step 4 ended up slopping soap and water all over the bathmat and the floor. And I think I may add a small jug to the equipment to pour the last of the water over my body.

I'm sincerely glad I'm not doing this challenge in the middle of winter. Even this morning it was a little chilly to be standing naked and dripping in the bathroom.

At the end of it, I felt surprisingly clean. I'm not sure I removed all the traces of soap, and I've spent the day smelling a little of Palmolive Gold...but I suspect that is better than the alternative?

Tomorrow...how much water am I actually saving?