Ablutophobia is the fear of bathing, washing, and cleaning.
It is a situation-specific phobia that is more common in women and children than men.
The phobia manifests in different ways, from a fear of showering to a complete phobia of all washing.
Ablutophobia is most likely to be caused by unique or specific traumatic instances, which could relate to childhood accidents that involve water or abusive or neglectful parents who may have implemented water or bathing as punishment.
In a bizarre case reported by several mainstream news outlets, a British teenager named Thomas Townsend met an untimely death due to ablutophobia. Townsend was using a large amount of deodorant to compensate for not bathing. He eventually died from inhalation of excess butane gas contained in the deodorant he used.
