A man’s showering habits are tearing his marriage apart (Image: Getty)

Are you a morning or evening showerer? The debate is endless.

If you choose to lather, it’s often a personal preference, but sometimes career plays a role in your routine. If you’re a farmer or work in healthcare, it’s not ideal to bring potential germs into the home, let alone the bedroom.

This has become reality for a desperate woman who is at her wits’ end because her ‘unhygienic’ husband refuses to shower before going to bed.

But it’s not just hygiene that’s at the root: he’s a heavy-duty diesel mechanic who often comes home ‘covered in diesel fuel’, leaving his wife worried he’ll soil their shared bedding.

His wife, who describes herself as a ‘clean freak’, personally prefers to shower twice a day. The couple has two children, one a year old and one two months old, so she hates feeling clingy after ‘walking around’ with them all day.

“He washes off as much as possible at work, but when he gets home I can still clearly see it on his skin,” her post on Reddit reads.

“He always apologizes because he’s too tired and can’t fall asleep straight away after showering. He definitely falls asleep right after showering!

“We argue about it all the time because I’m so tired of washing the sheets every other day because of the stains and the smell on them.”

“He makes me feel like I’m asking for too much and that I’m such a cow for not giving him enough sleep.”

He doesn’t always shower the next morning if he hasn’t done so that night, she adds. “He’ll wait until the next night.” “If I didn’t encourage him to shower, he wouldn’t shower for a few days,” she continues.

The comments were largely sympathetic, with some even pointing out the health risks of his behavior.

“While I understand he is tired, not showering is also a health risk for both of you. Sleeping in or next to the diesel is not healthy,” said one concerned user.

Others pointed out the difficult nature of his task to change things.

“If he had a regular job I’d say leave him alone, but since he runs on diesel I’d ask the same,” wrote another.

“I work in a hot factory,” said another. “I’m not even a mechanic and I wouldn’t dream of going to bed without a shower after a 17-hour work day.”