Bathroom history stretches back further than you might imagine. Originally, bathrooms were not developed with hygiene in mind, and the first records for the use of baths date back as far as 3000 B.C. At this time, water had a strong religious value and was seen as a purifying element for both body and soul.
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.
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.
Not even the Greeks and Romans, who pioneered running water and public baths, used soap to clean their bodies. Instead, men and women immersed themselves in water baths and then smeared their bodies with scented olive oils. They used a metal or reed scraper called a strigil to remove any remaining oil or grime.
By 1850, weekly bathing was the norm. By 1900, daily bathing was no longer rare. Bathing frequency only increased with improvements in plumbing, clean public water systems, and even more emphasis on hygiene by doctors.
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.
Bathing was a custom introduced to Italy from Greece towards the end of the 3rd century B.C. Early Romans washed their arms and legs everyday, which were dirty from working, but only washed their whole bodies every nine days.
To Bathe or Not to Bathe
In fact, westerners of his era believed bathing was downright dangerous. They feared that if they submerged themselves in water, they risked toxins infiltrating the body through its pores.
Though even wealthy families did not take a full bath daily, they were not unclean. 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.
Soap was sometimes used & hair was washed using an alkaline solution such as the one obtained from mixing lime & salt. As most people ate meals without knives, forks or spoons, it was also a common convention to wash hands before and after eating.
— A new University of Florida study following the evolution of lice shows modern humans started wearing clothes about 170,000 years ago, a technology which enabled them to successfully migrate out of Africa.
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.
Japanese people take a bath not only to keep their body clean, but also to relax and spend a refreshing time and connecting this the community. Many Japanese believe it also washes away the fatigue, hence a bath is taken often every night.
Don't take a bath every day: Daily baths can dry out your skin by ridding your body of its natural oils. Try for baths no more than twice a week. Shower between bath days. Use warm (not hot) water: Some people may experience dizziness or weakness when the temperature is too hot.
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.
Based on the writings of Herodotus, Ancient Egyptians used many healthy hygiene habits, such as washing, and laundry. They also knew to use mint to make their breath fresh. According to Ancient History Online Encyclopedia, Ancient Egyptians always tried to make their bodies clean.
Women were advised to dilute pure ammonia in warm water and then massage it through the scalp and hair, like modern shampoo. Men were also counseled to take great care when selecting a lifelong mate.
A Medieval clean wasn't half bad
In the Middle Ages, cleanliness was not considered to be as important as it is today and people often lived in unsanitary conditions. Despite this, there were some cleaning and hygiene practices that were followed to prevent the spread of disease and keep communities healthy.
The medical community in medieval Europe believed that water was harmful to health, as it opened pores and left the body more vulnerable to disease. Because of this, people would not wash. Full body baths were rare.
Perhaps the most common reason for elderly people to stop showering is fear of falling or injury. For individuals with decreased mobility, taking a shower can be a daunting prospect.
“Some celebrities do not want to wash their bodies every day with soap, as it strips natural oils from the skin. Some do not see it as necessary,” Dr. Elizabeth Mullans, a board-certified dermatologist at Uptown Dermatology, tells me.
If you went to the toilet in ancient Rome, you would not have any toilet paper. Instead you may have used a sponge (Latin: tersorium) to wipe. These ancient devices consisted of a stick with a vinegar- or salt water-soaked sponge attached. They were often shared!
Republican bathhouses often had separate bathing facilities for women and men, but by the 1st century AD mixed bathing was common and is a practice frequently referred to in Martial and Juvenal, as well as in Pliny and Quintilian.
The idea that medieval people never bathed? Time to leave that myth in, well, the Dark Ages. Medieval folks loved a bath, though it was a little more work than it is today with the marvels of modern plumbing. Laborers, who made up most of the population, probably used ewers and shallow washbasins.