Hygiene habits from Medieval times were very different than the habits we keep today. Medieval people, especially those in the peasant class faced all sorts of complications when it came to hygiene. From parasites to toxic makeup to strange sleep habits, we'll delve into all the crazy things you never knew about Medieval hygiene!
Private Bathtubs were for the Rich
While the upper class had bathtubs in their homes and servants to fill them with warm water, most middle-class people used public baths during Medieval times. Peasants, on the other hand, usually bathed outside in local streams or ponds—and sometimes not at all!
Most People Didn’t Use Soap
In Medieval times, soap was usually imported and expensive, so most people didn’t use soap. Plain water was commonly used, while some people added herbs or perfumes to enhance the smell. When soap was used, it was commonly made of fat or oil combined with lye.
Chamberpots and Outhouses
In an era before modern sanitation, very few homes had access to running water. This meant that chamberpots and outhouses were the common types of toilets of the day. Outhouses were used by castles. The structures were outside the castle and consisted of a bench with a hole placed over an opening leading to a cesspit. Chamber pots were exactly that: pots kept in one’s bed chamber that would have to be emptied outdoors.
Toilet Paper hadn’t Been Invented Yet
Toilet paper definitely wasn’t a thing in the Medieval era. While some people used cloth scraps that they washed most opted for leaves and grass.
Laundry was a Weekly Chore
Only the very wealthy had lots of clothing options. Most people had only one or two sets of clothes. The best option was to wash clothes once a week. Leaving one clean set to wear while the other set was washed and dried.
Most Peasants Slept Naked
The simple fact is that the less clothes one wears, the less clothes that have to be cared for. Additionally, when weather was warm, many peasants found sleeping without clothes to be more comfortable. The higher classes usually had special gowns made of thin materials for sleeping in.
Delousing Each Other was a Pastime
Since we rely on cleanliness to keep parasites away, it seems understandable that in a time that lacked cleanliness, parasites would abound. Most peasants simply lived with lice as a fact of life. Families and friends would often help each other by sitting around and picking the lice from each other’s hair and clothes.
Communal Cesspits
If you were wondering what actually happened to the waste from chamberpots and outhouses, it ended up disposed of in communal cesspits. However, people would often become lazy and dump the chamberpots out the windows or doors into the streets. This would cause awful filth and even contaminated water during heavy rains.
Handwashing was Common
Since bathing wasn’t always a priority, it might surprise you to know that most people in Medieval times, even peasants, washed their hands and faces at least daily. For many, handwashing might be done as frequently as several times per day.
Peasants Didn’t Have Utensils
Perhaps handwashing was common even among peasants because most could not afford eating utensils. Most people of the peasant class at that time didn’t know how to use eating utensils, which made having clean hands much more advantageous.
Don’t Let the Bed Bugs Bite!
The straw beds generally used during the Medieval period were quick to draw bed bugs, fleas, and other vermin. When they could get them, people used herbs and spices like mint, chamomile, and lavender to help repel the bugs.
Early Toothpaste
Mass-produced toothpaste wasn’t a thing yet, so to clean teeth and freshen breath, people of the Medieval era mixed their own pastes made of salt and sage. They would also use twigs from hazel trees or small pieces of wool to clean their teeth. It helped that they rarely developed cavities since their diets included almost no sugar.
Low-End Dental Work
Speaking of cavities, if you happened to get one in Medieval times, there were no dentists around to help you yet! You would go to the local barber since he was the one who would have the right instruments to pull teeth. With no anesthesia, dental patients relied on getting drunk to withstand the pain of having a tooth pulled.
Medieval Housewives
A Medieval housewife did far more than cook and clean. Production of food to sustain the household involved chores like gardening, butter churning, baking bread, and milling grain. Housewives were responsible for milking cows and fetching water, too. It was a grueling job to be a housewife during that time period.
Wine as an Antiseptic
While medicine was still somewhat primitive in Medieval times, many modern ideas were starting to emerge. Surgeons experimented with different antiseptics to keep wounds clean. Wine, due to its high alcohol content, turned out to be one of the more effective antiseptics.
Contaminated Food was Common
Contaminated and spoiled food was a serious problem. In addition to spoiled and molded food, contaminated water was also an issue. Water was often contaminated by local cesspits, animals, and other issues.
Good Hygiene was Misunderstood
Many scientific discoveries that led to a better understanding of disease and illness had not happened yet. This meant that people often misunderstood the basic causes of their ailments. This meant that their hygiene was often well-intentioned but not very effective.
Urine as a Cleaner
It probably sounds super strange to most modern people, but urine has been used as a cleaner for decades and still was during Medieval times. Even stranger: urine was used as a facial exfoliant during Medieval times. People believed it kept their skin clear and healthy looking.
Beards were In
Mirrors and razors were hard to come by in Medieval times. Although you could go to a barber to get shaved, most men weren’t interested. A big, full beard was considered a sign of virility.
Surgery was Performed by Barbers
Like teeth extraction, surgery was performed by barbers. It might seem counter intuitive now, but back then it made sense. Barbers had the right tools for surgery and a fairly clean place to perform the procedure. This seems unimaginable today!
Medieval Hospitals
Hospitals were first popularized in the Medieval era. However, those hospitals were nothing like the hospitals of today. Back then, hospitals served more as a type of hospice care to ease the pain of the dying and house the demented.
Floors Could Be Fatal
The amount of filth, germs, and bacteria present in a Medieval home is astounding. The floors were no exception. Most floors were dirt, and by nature, they could not be cleaned. Straw was often used to cover the floor, which harbored even more germs and bacteria. Running the wrong stick into your foot from a floor like this could literally lead to a fatal infection.
Medieval Pesticides
There is no way around it; bugs were a serious problem in Medieval times. People made their own homemade pesticides to try to kill and deter bugs. Some of the concoctions included herbs and flowers. Others worked as detectors and traps. People would put a sheet of paper under a bed to help spot fleas and bed bugs quickly. A good remedy for fleas was considered a candle inserted into a slice of bread covered in glue. This supposedly captured the fleas for disposal.
Earworms
Of all of the parasite problems that Medieval people had, one of the worst was considered to be earworms. The remedy for earworms was a medicine that a doctor poured into the ear canal. The only problem with this is that earworms don’t exist, even though almost everyone believed that they did.
Medieval Menstruation
Menstruation has always been a fact of life. During the Medieval era, women handled their monthly cycle in different ways, but oddly, many doctors believe that because of their diet and incredibly hard lifestyle, women in Medieval times probably menstruated less often and for fewer years than modern women.
Perfumes were Mandatory
One of the best defenses that people of the Medieval era had against the myriad of bad smells from poor sanitation, lack of clean water, and poor personal hygiene was the use of perfumes. Some expensive perfumes could be purchased, but people also commonly used flowers and herbs to perfume themselves and their living areas.
Poor Sanitation was a Core Issue
In fact, it was not people's poor personal hygiene that was the main culprit of spreading disease. Disease was most often spread by contaminated water or food. This usually stemmed from poor or nonexistent sanitation. The sanitation that did exist, such as cesspits, only exacerbated the problem of contamination and stench.
People had Worms
You’ve noticed by now that parasites were a really big problem in Medieval times. Beyond what you’ve already heard, did you know that people actually had worm infestations? Tapeworms were a serious issue, as were roundworms and hookworms.
Medieval STIs
While HIV was not an issue for people of the Medieval ages, sexually transmitted infections did exist. They were often called different names than they are today, but modern scientists attest to the prevalence of infections like syphilis and gonorrhea.
Poisonous Face Powder
People were as preoccupied with appearance and cosmetics during the Medieval era as they have been at any other time in history. However, they were unaware that many of their cosmetics were actually toxic. One of the worst offenders was white lead, which was used as face powder and was quite deadly.