What was hygiene like for medieval peasants?

Hygiene in medieval times relied on washing often and utilizing herbs and flowers to deter pesticides and provide pleasant odors. Peasants who couldn’t afford these things bathed less often and lived closely surrounded by filth.

Why didn’t people bathe in medieval times?

It wasn’t just diseases from the water itself they were worried about. They also felt that with the pores widened after a bath, this resulted in infections of the air having easier access to the body. Hence, bathing, particularly at bathhouses, became connected with the spread of diseases.

Did medieval peasants wash?

So yes, medieval people, even regular old peasants were pretty clean types of people. In fact, they were so clean that for them bathing constituted a leisure activity. So the average person would likely wash daily at home, but once a week or so they would treat themselves to a bath at the communal bath house.

How did ancient humans wipe?

What’s clear is that humans in all time periods have used a variety of natural tools and materials to clean themselves. In very ancient times, wiping with stones and other natural materials and rinsing with water or snow was common. Some cultures opted for seashells and animal furs.

Did medieval peasants have soap?

Your peasant ass would likely have been making soap at home, and books of secrets often included various recipes for soap, all of which can still be made today. The general ingredients were usually tallow, mutton or beef fat, some type of wood ash or another, potash, and soda. However, soap could also be purchased.

What was used to clean in medieval times?

Clothes could be washed in a tub, often with stale urine or wood ash added to the water, and trampled underfoot or beaten with a wooden bat until clean. But many women did their washing in rivers and streams, and larger rivers often had special jetties to facilitate this, such as ‘le levenderebrigge’ on the Thames.

What was dental hygiene like in the Middle Ages?

But medieval commoners were not bereft of dental hygiene practices. To keep teeth white and clean and to stay away from the dreaded barber, the common practice was to wipe down teeth with a rough woolen cloth. And, there is evidence that toothpaste and mouthwashes were used.

How did people clean their hands in the Middle Ages?

Medieval courtesy books taught hands, face, and teeth should be washed every morning. Hands would be cleaned constantly among the aristocrats. Cups and plates were communal and most foods were eaten with the fingers. No one wanted their dining companion to have dirty hands or nails. For a high-ranking noble, hand washing followed its own ritual.

How did people keep their teeth white in the Middle Ages?

To keep teeth white and clean and to stay away from the dreaded barber, the common practice was to wipe down teeth with a rough woolen cloth. And, there is evidence that toothpaste and mouthwashes were used. As it turns out, people in the Middle Ages cared about white teeth and fresh breath too!

How did people keep their teeth clean in the Elizabethan era?

However, once we got into the Elizabethan era, keeping your teeth clean was a little grosser. White teeth were beginning to be prized as a symbol of health and wealth, and so people began to scrub their teeth with the ashes of burnt rosemary and use a mixture of vinegar and wine as mouthwash.