Should you shower before sex? Debate rages amid bedbug infestations

Should you pause to take a shower before getting into bed with someone? Photo / 123rf

A debate has broken out online over whether people should shower before having sex - particularly in light of the bedbug infestation plaguing Europe.

In an appearance on Good Morning Britain, blogger Carla Belucci has pleaded with people to “freshen up” before slipping under the covers, adding that it could help prevent the spread of bedbugs, reports the New York Post.

But host Ellie Phillips wasn’t so sure - arguing that taking the time to shower first could be a bit of a mood killer and take the spontaneity out of sex.

When it comes to getting intimate, hygiene is important. Photo / 123rf

Belucci replied, “I don’t want anything smelling – feet, breath, anything. For me, it has to be clean; if not, I get the ick.”

She went on to say that even if she had to sit in the sink to freshen up, she would do it.

“Just freshen up. I would be uncomfortable otherwise.”

The blogger argued that sex is more enjoyable when both partners are clean and hygienic - never mind bedbugs.

But despite the rise in bedbug cases, Phillips argued that taking the time to shower first could simply kill the mood.

“How soon before the act are you having to shower – is it five minutes, is it 10 minutes?” she queried.

Some feel that pausing for a shower before sex can ruin the mood. Photo / Unsplash

“Because for me, if I’m going on a date night with my husband, we go out for dinner, we go to the theatre, we come home, and we want to have a bit of fun time. We’re just going to let it happen – we’re going to go with it.”

The TV host made the disclaimer that it’s good practice to be as clean as possible before getting under the covers, and urged viewers to be vigilant.

“I think if I had to tell someone to go and have a shower, I’d be concerned about their general personal hygiene,” she explained.

“Because I think if you’re going to sleep with someone and you’re worried about where they’ve been, then maybe you shouldn’t be sleeping with them.”

Good Morning Britain viewers were split over whether or not they shower before sex - and for many of them, it sounds like a must.

“Some of y’all are nasty … It feels so nice to have a shower/bath and put on something nice. A sweaty body on you is gross,” one viewer wrote on X.

Another’s opinion was that “doing it after you’ve both showered is guaranteed magic, each and every time”.

The debate comes as several cities in Europe battle a bedbug infestation, with many leaving infested mattresses on Paris streets.

The spread of bedbugs in Amsterdam and London has raised further concerns.

One train passenger recently went viral after putting on a full hazmat suit to ride the Eurostar around the continent, captured in a TikTok video with 1.4 million views to date.