We all know that it's a mantra that we always take a towel to public Naturist locations for hygiene reasons. Sitting on a towel is considered mandatory.

But I'm wondering whether we all do it at home? We often have different behaviours at home whether it's because we're simply more relaxed or maybe just don't apply the same rules as when we're out in public. 

Personally, when I sit down nude at home, I have some old cloth nappies that I'll put down rather than a whole towel. Nappies are the perfect bum size and are easy to wash, after all  that's what they were deigned for. I also use them when I'm exercising to put a layer between my bum and the exercise mat. I put down nappies for a couple of reasons. Firstly, my wife doesn't like the idea of a naked bum on the furniture, which I understand. But it's also that other people may visit and use the same chairs/sofas and may be quite put off if they thought that a naked bum had been sitting on the same spot/s. Plus, it's just easier than cleaning up after "accidents", that we all hope will never happen but might anyway. As for the exercise mats, it stops my skin sticking.

What about you? What are your habits with towels at home?

We have always used throws on our living room furniture that can just be thrown in the wash and dry quickly. To be honest we would use them if we were not naturists. They have been particularly useful bringing up two boys who can seem to make a mess eating anything. And also protect the furniture from grubby hands, drawing etc etc. 

There is an irony that as naturists we are very wary about ensuring we keep furniture clean, and the towel rule at naturist venues is a good one, but when Steve and I used to look after properties we found the three things that made furniture dirty was hands, heads resting on the back of chairs and trousers (jeans in particular). We walk around all day, ride on buses, travel through pollution etc etc and then come home and then rub these outside clothes onto material of sofas that are very hard to clean, some sofas even take on a blueish tinge from jean wear and tear. Our naked bodies are actually rather clean in comparison. They also are much less likely to bobble and fray material with friction.

The main thing we worry about is sweating on hot days. For individual chair like dining chairs we have a small towel each that we move around the home. When we are on holidays we tend to use microfibre towels as they wash and dry quickly and are very compact for suitcases, we have four different colours.   

Oh - I meant to add earlier. Before our boys were "out of nappies" we had them going nappy free as much as possible. We found that it helped them become more aware of this aspect of their lives but also gave them more comfort and freedom. Of course the occasional accidents happened, and having towels etc on furniture helped with that. But you know what, they didn't happen very often. We think that nappies discourage toddlers from recognising their body functions especially as these highly environmentally unsound nappies are designed to keep the wearer feeling dry and so they see no effect from their body functions. Our sons once they could walk, from around one, would quite often toddle off the sofa and head to the toilet or in the summer go out and to use the garden.  

This post was edited by Anna ANW at December 19, 2025 9:38 PM GMT

Anna, our daughter and son-in-law could not be defined as naturists; but they are not shy about nudity in their own home when alone, and they potty-trained their little girl the same way. She just stayed naked, and there was the occasional accident, but for the most part, her awareness helped her remember to hit the chair when necessary. The funny part was when she pooped and carried the chair out proudly to show everyone.  :D 

As I was reading through the comments, it came to my mind (not for the first time) that naturists, being more aware of our bodies, are probably more likely in general to keep our bodies clean than folks who stay dressed all the time and only concern themselves with the once or twice weekly bath. It's just so easy, to sponge bathe in the morning and start the day fresh.

So true Sam. There is something about being naked that doesn't just make it easier to be clean but also easier to stay clean, it just seems to encourage a natural freshness and cleanliness. In fact Steve often says after some time without clothes that putting on clothes makes him feel grubby, even though the clothes are clean. 

I wonder if maybe not enough is said about encouraging children to be naked and become aware of their body functions. I feel it really made a difference to our boys, and boys are supposed to be slower than girls in that respect anyway. 

We were cruel and never used potties accept when out and about. Our boys used the toilet with a smaller seat on it and a step in front. They had the fun of flushing, but not the fun of carrying around their delivery for others to inspect. I won't let them read this post in case they feel cheated!       

This post was edited by Anna ANW at October 11, 2024 9:27 AM BST

Agreed with Sam. I tend to be a lot more mindful of bathing and prefer to do so daily. So, I don't worry too much about when I'm at home. The towel thing is because there are so many people that aren't as clean and to put it bluntly don't know how to properly wipe/clean their self. I may be comfy at home without a towel, but I don't trust other people's hygiene habits. Besides the towel, it is also proper/hygienic to bathe before entering the pool and hot tub. I see people failing to do that often.