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What is a Back Washer?

Felicia Dye
Felicia Dye

One of the hardest places on the body for a person to thoroughly clean is the back. A back washer is a toiletry tool that can be used to help accomplish this task. Such an item usually consists of a handle with cleaning head that is used for bathing.

The reason that it can be difficult to properly clean one's back is because there are areas that are hard to reach. For this reason, a back washer usually has a long handle, which allows a person access to those areas that cannot be easily reached by hand. The handles are commonly made from either plastic or wood.

A back washer can be used in a bath or shower.
A back washer can be used in a bath or shower.

Every back washer is not the same. One of the biggest differences is the type of cleaning head that is connected to the handle. These can be made out of a variety of materials, such as sponge, mesh, and loofah. This variety of cleaning heads accommodate the range of bathing preferences that people can have.

A back washer that has a mesh cleaning head, for example, is a good choice for individuals who bathe with shower gels. Mesh is generally ideal when a person wants to generate a great deal of foam. A sponge back washer can also be used with shower gels, although the resulting foam may not be as great. Sponge materials work well with bars of soap, however. The benefit with this type of back washer is that it may be a bit firmer than one with a mesh cleaning head. Some people associate this firmness with improved cleansing capabilities.

Those back washers that have loofah cleanings heads tend to be very firm. Many people use these when they want to feel as if they are scrubbing their backs. These are also good for exfoliation.

A sponge back washer may work well with bars of soap.
A sponge back washer may work well with bars of soap.

A back washer can be used in the bathtub or in the shower. Many models have cord from which they can be hung. Others have holes or rings in the handles that can be used to hang the back washers on hooks. A back washer is often inexpensive and can commonly be found for sale in many stores that sell health and beauty supplies.

There are more sophisticated models with massaging capabilities. These are usually battery operated. As a person is cleaning her back, she can also experience vibrating sensations, which are generally more for pleasure than for cleaning. The back washers with massaging capabilities tend to be a bit more expensive than the more traditional models, and they may not be as widely available.

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    • A back washer can be used in a bath or shower.
      By: Karramba Production
      A back washer can be used in a bath or shower.
    • A sponge back washer may work well with bars of soap.
      By: Deyan Georgiev
      A sponge back washer may work well with bars of soap.