Bucket Bathing

I had to wash my hair…and other important areas…in a bucket this morning. This was a new experience for me, and because it was new, it was actually rather fun. My roommate (aka my ex-boyfriend, for reasons too complicated to go into here) heated a pot of water on the stove, and I cut it with cold water from a jug until it was a more reasonable temperature. The worst moment came when I realized there were parts of my head that wouldn’t fit in the bucket to rinse off. Thank goodness there was a small bowl within reach for scooping purposes. Luckily, I only poured water into my ears once. 

So why did I take a bucket bath? No, I didn’t forget to pay the water bill. I have a fully-functional water heater. My pipes didn’t burst. My tap water is perfectly clean and potable. 

Ladies and gentlemen, I took a bucket bath because the roommate decided--after having the necessary supplies since August--this was the perfect time to repipe the entire basement.

Which translates into at least two days of the water being turned off. In the middle of my work week. In January. Did I mention my basement is unheated?

To be fair, he gave me plenty of warning before he turned everything off. And we have jugs, a couple of buckets, and a bathtub full of water for immediate usage. Which, incidentally, is very intriguing for the cats. They’ve sampled every bucket and I live in equal parts softhearted dread and sadistic hope that one of them will forget the bathtub is uncovered and fall in. Fubar had a close call yesterday. I could almost hear him swearing as he teetered riiiiiight at the edge after an ill-considered leap. 

Anyway, all water-related things are currently a lot more involved than usual. Cooking is a minor hassle. Cleaning up afterward, much more so. Brushing one’s teeth isn’t so bad. Cleaning the rest of one’s self requires a lot more forethought and really good aim. Or at least plenty of towels nearby. And don’t even get me started on going potty.

As I took my bucket bath this morning, a line from the book King Peggy by Eleanor Herman and Peggielene Bartels kept running through my mind. Peggy, an American secretary, is called back to Africa and crowned king (yes, “king”) of a village in Ghana. As she is preparing for her coronation, she’s taking a bucket bath and says, “All Africans know how to get very clean with a bucket of water.” I didn’t do half so well. I can’t wait to take a shower so I can feel my standard of “clean” again.

This experience made me realize how much I take such a basic thing as running water for granted. Turn a tap and, presto, as much clean water as I need. Hot or cold, on command. So many people around the world don’t have that. What I am fortunate enough to term a “temporary inconvenience” (and it damn well better be temporary) is a way of life for thousands. They start every day by heating up water so they can bathe. Or boiling and letting it cool enough to drink. Washing dishes. Doing laundry. Cooking. For some, the day starts even earlier with a trip to the communal water supply with a couple of empty containers.

Faced with that reality, I can definitely submit to bucket living for a few days. All the same, I probably should have laid down a second towel this morning. Oh, well. The floor needed a good rinse anyway.