Just look at these “basic settings” that women have had to install themselves into men's heads:
“Bed linens still need to be changed regularly. Even if they don't have pizza stains on them.”
“I told a grown man that sheets should be washed or changed at least once every two weeks. His reaction? Surprise: How was I supposed to know that?”
“Hand washing. This was unexpected, because I hoped we all knew about the need to wash our hands after using the toilet.”
“And washing his hands after he unknowingly scratched his… ahem… treasures. Seriously, you shouldn't be doing that during the day at my house, especially if you don't live here and we don't even meet.”
“He complained for years about his stinky feet… until I found out he never even thought to wash between his toes in the shower!”
“In high school, I had to explain to a guy that there was such a thing as deodorant. His parents just let him grow up and never once hinted that he should use it.”
“I've said it once and I'll say it a million times – I had to teach my ex about oral hygiene.”
“Well, it's not that he didn't know how to brush his teeth. He just didn't know that you can't use the same toothbrush your whole life. And that you should brush at least once a day, and not immediately light a cigarette.”
“My husband complained that I was popping too many pimples on his face. So I got him on my skincare routine. Everything cleared up in literally three days! Now he doesn't even argue when I hand him jars of creams at night, lol.”
“Many of them simply haven't been taught basic body care.”
“Wash, floss, wash your entire body (I won't go into detail, you can imagine) and use lotion. I was dating a guy who was constantly scratching himself. I started putting lotion on him after he showered, and he honestly didn't know that the cause of the discomfort was dry skin. He thought the cream was just for the smell.”
“Lower the toilet lid BEFORE flushing. That's basic!”.
“If you shave, please remove all hair from the sink.”
“If you roll a wet towel into a ball after a shower, it will stink and turn sour.”
“My ex was shocked when he saw me washing towels. He thought they only absorb water, so they couldn't be dirty. Before we were together, his mom did his laundry.”
“What to wash under the foreskin when you take a bath. My ex almost always had lint there from underwear. It's not sexy at all, believe me.”
“When I was 20, I went on a date with a man who was 33… Before we got intimate, I asked him when he had last been tested for infections (I plan ahead for safety). He had no idea what STDs were. I had to give him a lesson. I also explained how viruses spread. He didn't understand that if someone sneezed on you, you could catch a cold, or that exchanging fluids could transmit a bunch of diseases. We weren't intimate after that.”
“I remember kissing my first boyfriend's neck and it tasted salty. I thought it was just the taste of skin. Later he admitted that he washed himself on average once a week. So I was literally tasting his dried sweat.”
“And another ex of mine didn't use soap in the shower. And once he wiped himself with a dirty T-shirt after getting out of the bathroom.”
“That you can't just spread shower gel all over your body with your hands. You need a normal washcloth to wash off dead skin.”
“When I was dropping my older brother off at his college dorm, he called me from the road… He asked if the cleanser was supposed to be so sticky. It turns out he just put the gel on his face and never rinsed it off or lathered it! He was walking around with the soap on his face, waiting for it to absorb or something. He was 19 and two years older than me.”
“I don't believe it needs to be said out loud: Don't pee in the sink! My ex did it because it was more convenient. After a year, I figured out where those yellow stains were coming from. And he refused to stop doing it, even when I asked him to.”
Have you ever had to teach grown men how to use soap or a washing machine? Share your pain in the comments below!
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Do you think it's normal to teach your partner basic hygiene in adulthood?
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Terrible Owl 🤔 Everything is individual 02.02.2026 16:31 Some elementary points about washing, between the fingers, ears, behind the ears and brushing teeth can simply be offensive because it's for 5-year-olds…. + Reply Show replies (1) ▼