The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 8 letter word UNBATHED
I've seen this crossword clue in Independent
U
N
B
A
T
H
E
D
Buddy explains!
The straight part
We know that "in need of a wash" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case in need of a wash = unbathed.The cryptic/wordplay part
In cryptic crossword there's often an wordplay/cryptic part as well.This part involves a more complex hint, such as an anagram, homophone, hidden word, etc.
Sadly, We don't have an explanation for this specific crossword clue yet.