Were Medieval People Always Dirty?
It’s no secret that medieval Europe had some issues when it came to public health. Towns were particularly unsanitary places due to the absence of sewage systems and the practice of throwing trash and human waste into the streets. These crowded areas were notoriously stinky. It’s perhaps for this reason that a common misconception exists regarding medieval people: that they were always dirty and paid little attention to personal hygiene. This stereotype is particularly prevalent in regard to the peasantry, who are often portrayed in popular culture as thoroughly unclean and rife with all manner of parasites, plagues, and putridity.
But were the Middle Ages really so dirty? While it’s true that the vast majority of people in that era had no access to anything near our 21st-century standard of hygiene, they knew the importance of keeping clean. Towns and villages were typically built near sources of fresh water, or were supplied by wells or, in the case of some larger cities such as London, by water carried in through lead pipes. People, therefore, could — and in many cases would — bathe on a regular basis. Indeed, there are numerous literary references and works of art from the medieval period that depict people taking baths, which for many was part of a daily routine.
Basic Hygiene in the Middle Ages
Contrary to the image of the unwashed medieval peasant, even the most underprivileged members of society practiced basic hygiene. They typically had a jug, basin, or trough of water from which they regularly washed their hands and face. It was common to wash one’s hands before and after meals, especially since hands were still the primary instrument for eating. (The use of forks was not commonplace in Europe until the 18th century.) People also brushed their teeth regularly. Out in the countryside, fresh hazel twigs were used as toothbrushes, and when those weren’t available, people used linen cloths. There was no toothpaste, but sea salt and ground herbs such as cloves were used while brushing to help keep mouths fresh and teeth clean.
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Bathing at Home and in Public
Wooden bathtubs were typically found in the houses of wealthier members of society, who would bathe fairly regularly. Commoners in rural areas didn’t always have bathtubs, but would take dips in the river, or — when nothing else was available — a handy horse trough. Since many citizens worked in sweaty manual labor, they bathed quite frequently, often every day. In the towns, bathing was done at public baths, which were especially common during the late Middle Ages. These bathhouses were often connected to bakeries, using excess heat from the ovens to warm the water. Medieval public baths weren’t for the shy, as men and women bathed naked together. Perhaps unsurprisingly, considering the amount of nude flesh on display, bathhouses often had an illicit side to them, doubling as brothels.
Don’t Forget the Soap
Yes, people used soap back in the medieval period. Soap was available as a trade good in Europe as early as the ninth century CE, and could also be made at home. Numerous soap-making recipes exist from the Middle Ages, often including ingredients such as ashes from an oak tree, tallow (animal fat), lime (heated to become quicklime), salt, and flour. The soap was scented using fresh herbs such as sage and thyme. Shampoo didn’t exist, so most people simply washed their hair with water. The more well-off citizens, however, washed their hair with a mixture similar to soap, made from ashes and egg whites and scented with herbs and flowers. People also brushed their hair with combs, but not only for cosmetic reasons. Fine-toothed combs were used as delousing implements, specifically designed to remove lice from the hair.
Doing the Laundry
Of course, taking a nice bath is fairly pointless if all your clothes stink. Medieval people were well aware of this and tried to keep their clothing clean. While heavier outer garments might have received only an occasional brushing, undergarments and household linens were frequently laundered. Advice books from the Middle Ages recommended that underwear should be changed every day. Those who could afford it sent their laundry to a washer, who scrubbed and beat the dirt out of linens in a large wooden tub or in the river. To help clean and deodorize fabrics, a plant called soapwort, or herbs such as marjoram, could be added to the water. And to keep those whites nice and bright, people washed their linens in chamber lye — a mixture that included wood ash and urine, the latter carefully gathered from chamber pots.
