In the 1700s, most people in the upper class seldom, if ever, bathed. They occasionally washed their faces and hands, and kept themselves “clean” by changing the white linens under their clothing. “The idea about cleanliness focused on their clothing, especially the clothes worn next to the skin,” Ward said.
The First 'Modern' Shower
Fast forward to 1767, when the first patent for a shower was granted to William Feetham, a stove maker from Ludgate Hill in London. These early modern-day showers were powered by a hand pump and used less water than baths.
People didn't bathe often. Mostly, they just washed their hands and face and combed their hair (and beards). They relied on their underclothes to soak up dirt and smell and changed these as often as they could afford to have them washed. They also used perfumes and sweet waters to cover up bad smells.
It was the custom for most people to wash themselves in the morning, usually a sponge bath with a large washbasin and a pitcher of water on their bedroom washstands. Women might have added perfume to the water.
In prehistoric times people cleaned themselves with just plain water, clay, sand, pumice and ashes. Later, ancient Greeks bathed regularly and early Romans did also. The importance of cleanliness is mentioned in the old testament and other religious texts.
The Himba people live in one of the most extreme environments on earth with the harsh desert climate and the unavailability of potable water. However, their lack of bathing has not resulted into lack of personal hygiene.
In conjunction with personal hygiene, Egyptians also were known for cleaning their homes and clothing using alkaline soaps, alcohol, and other concoctions not too dissimilar to modern detergents and cleaning chemicals.
The oldest accountable daily ritual of bathing can be traced to the ancient Indians. They used elaborate practices for personal hygiene with three daily baths and washing. These are recorded in the works called grihya sutras which date back to 500 BCE and are in practice today in some communities.
She rarely washed her hair, as the process was involved and not terribly pleasant. Women were advised to dilute pure ammonia in warm water and then massage it through the scalp and hair, like modern shampoo.
Vikings were known for their excellent hygiene.
Excavations of Viking sites have turned up tweezers, razors, combs and ear cleaners made from animal bones and antlers. Vikings also bathed at least once a week—much more frequently than other Europeans of their day—and enjoyed dips in natural hot springs.
The Evolution of Hygiene
Neanderthals would use seashell tweezers to remove hair, and early paintings from caves depict beardless males. This suggests that even way back then, the Neanderthals understood hygiene and probably enjoyed it. Another one of the earliest signs of personal hygiene awareness was in 3000 BC.
Rags and nappies (1700s)
First forward to the 18th century and most women would simply use old clothing or just normal baby nappies as menstrual rags. For women who did not have enough rags, they would use sheepskin and line it with cotton. They would boil them clean after every use.
While it smells fine now, hygiene practices (or the lack thereof) in France during Louis XIII's reign meant that the palace smelled like urine, fecal matter, and more. Some claim that a lack of toilets in the palace even led some visitors to relieve themselves behind curtains and pillars.
They're a softer lining that protects some of the most delicate places. If they had a metal tub, the sheets can be used for one of two reasons. They either offer a lining to prevent the heat of the metal burning or they prevent the coldness of the metal being uncomfortable. It's a very simple answer, really.
Every day, Romans would finish work around the middle of the afternoon and make their way to the baths. Men of all social classes mixed freely together. Old, young, rich and poor would share the daily ritual of the baths.
In the 1700s, most people in the upper class seldom, if ever, bathed. They occasionally washed their faces and hands, and kept themselves “clean” by changing the white linens under their clothing. “The idea about cleanliness focused on their clothing, especially the clothes worn next to the skin,” Ward said.
The Victorian Period (And Beyond)
From the 1890s to the early 1980s, people used sanitary belts, which basically were reusable pads that attached to a belt worn around the waist – and yes, they were as uncomfortable as they sound.
They were understated, feminine – and often simply conjured up the scent of a particular flower, such as jasmine, lavender, roses, honeysuckle… Aromatic herbs might be used, too: marjoram, thyme, rosemary, and the odd sprinkling of spice – like cloves (which gave a carnation-like scent).
Similar to the nightgown, Victorian nightcaps swung in the opposite direction of showiness during this modest era. These caps had two purposes, keeping one warm in the large and cold bedrooms many people slept in, and occasionally for perfuming the hair.
To the Japanese, bathing is a process. You wash yourself before you get in the bath to cleanse your body of the day's dirt and grime. That's one of the main reasons why most Japanese people bathe at night, instead of in the morning.
When it comes to showers, Brazil is the leader of the pack, and the cleanest. While only 7% of Brazilians take a bath, 99% report taking weekly showers. How many showers? On average, Brazilians take two showers a day or 14 showers a week.
But for many people, two to three times a week is enough and may be even better to maintain good health. It depends in part on your lifestyle. Someone who spends hours in the hot sun working in the yard or running or biking, will likely need to bathe more often than someone who's cool and indoors.
Marie Kondo, the queen of tidy, says her house isn't so tidy anymore. "I have kind of given up on that in a good way for me," said Kondo, the author of The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up: The Japanese Art of Decluttering and Organizing, a self-help book that took audiences by storm.
Sitting as the no. 1 cleanest country in the world in 2023 is Denmark, with an EPI score of 82.50. Apparently, this country in the Nordic region emphasizes the use of renewable energy. As of 2023, Denmark only has a total population of 5,754,356 people.
Environmental performance can be measured by various factors, and the EPI is a comprehensive source that ranks 180 countries based on 32 indicators. In the latest EPI report, Denmark ranked as the world's cleanest and the most environmentally friendly country in 2022 with a score of 77.9 out of 100.