I imagine they mean without a cloth, poof, or loofa. As a kid I would put body wash in my hand, lather, and rub it over my body. But it tended to use up soap quickly so either I had to add more soap part way through or the things I washed last didn’t get washed well. Which is why I switched to a poof.
I have some stupid questions from someone who rolls barehanded...
How do you get the soap to lather well when using a wash cloth? I tried it once but it didn't work all that well.
Are you supposed to use a new washcloth every time you shower? If yes, how many washcloths do you go through a week and how much does this add to your laundry bulk. If no, aren't you kind of grossed out by a used, wet, bacteria filled rag being rubbed all over you?
I once saw a post from someone not understanding how bare handers could possibly get clean from only using their hands. But...it's not like you use a washcloth when you wash your hands and no one is grossed out by that. Why are people then randomly grossed out when you apply that to showering? The action of soap with mechanical disruption, be it with your bare hands or a washcloth, does well to remove grime and bacteria.
To the OP, I lather in my hands with a bar of soap and then wash my body with my sudsy hands...going back to the bar of soap and even "washing my hands" often enough when necessary.
I use an exfoliating washcloth like this. It lathers really well. Scrubs off the dead skin and it's long so you can scratch your back. It air dries fast.
How do you get the soap to lather well when using a wash cloth? I tried it once but it didn’t work all that well.
It lathers better than soap/hands for me.
Are you supposed to use a new washcloth every time you shower? If yes, how many washcloths do you go through a week and how much does this add to your laundry bulk.
Not I. I change mine weekly. Even if I did daily, they're tiny, so 7 would be about the same mass as a shirt.
If no, aren’t you kind of grossed out by a used, wet, bacteria filled rag being rubbed all over you?
Not anymore than rubbing a used, wet, bacteria filled bar of soap being rubbed all over you. Or used, wet, bacteria filled hands.
First time I heard of that. What is the advantage they have compared to just using your hands, besides the lathering abilities mentioned in one of the replies to this comment which is something I never had a problem with?
That's what I thought, hence I mentioned the bowl of water. Which was heated with wood or coal which had to be carried manually... in buckets... Imagine that :-)