One in 29 French people don't take a shower even once a WEEK - while 13% do not wash their hands after using the toilet



At the other end of the scale, 20% wash their hands at least ten times a day



Engaged: A survey found that one in five French people do not bathe daily

One in 29 people in France only take a shower once a week, according to a new survey.

The study into French washing habits also found that one in five do not shower every day.

On the other end of the scale, 11.5 per cent of French men and women shower several times daily.



Hand washing, too, is ‘not always a priority for the French,’ said pollster BVA, which was commissioned to carry out the survey by hygiene product company Tork.

One eighth of those questioned said they didn’t bother washing their hands after going to the toilet and 45 per cent admitted they didn’t scrub up after being on public transport even though 54% thought buses and trains were ‘the dirtiest objects in daily life.’



More than one in five said they didn’t wash their hands before sitting down for a meal.

The bath is in decline with only 18 per cent of French people who take one once a week and 61% who say they do not bathe frequently.

The French are more aware of hygiene when they are cooking - 86.6 per cent say they always wash their hands before preparing food.

Young people are also less concerned about cleaning toilets than their elders: from 18 to 34 years, 18.9 per cent cleaned the toilet every day, against 44.9 per cent for those aged 50 to 64 years and 58.7 per cent of those over 65.

But it’s not like the British have much to crow about. More than half of men quizzed in a June poll admitted they regularly skipped their morning shower, with a quarter saying they’d rather have the extra time in bed.

One in three said they simply couldn’t be bothered.

Global Handwashing Day encourages people to stay clean to stop viruses and bacteria being spread

The report by the Global Hygiene Council also found that barely half of British adults always wash their hands with soap after visiting the lavatory.

The new findings, released in conjunction with Global Handwashing Day on Monday, came a year after another study found the French led the rest of Europe in hygiene.

An Ifop poll showed 97 per cent of the French felt ill at ease if they left the house without showering, compared to 74 per cent of Britons.