Most medieval people probably were dirty, and perhaps even smelly, by our standards – however hard you try, it must be nearly impossible to make a cold, muddy river work as well as a power shower and a washing machine. But only a tiny number of medieval people were truly filthy. Even fewer actually wanted to be dirty.
as for the environmental smells, sure there was more of a smell of livestock and processing materials (dyes and leatherwork was notoriously smelly) but generally people did their best to keep their environment smelling as good as possible (no less because of the idea that illness was transmitted through miasma and bad ...
A Medieval clean wasn't half bad
One of the most important cleaning practices in medieval times was washing. Bathing was not as common as it is today and was often reserved for special occasions. People would usually wash their hands and face regularly, but full-body bathing was not a daily occurrence.
There were still animals in the cities in the 19th century, particularly horses that were used for transportation, so there would be the smell of animals and animal manure. There'd also be the stench of human excrement, as many cities didn't have underground plumbing installed until the later part of the century.
An era that valued spiritual and physical purity knew the importance of bathhouses, soap and even deodorant.
According to Długosz, Jagiełło bathed at least every third day. This may had been regarded as excessive; most people bathed weekly, like Mélusine, but bathing was not the only way to maintain hygiene.
For millennia, far before commercial deodorant and antiperspirant products were invented, perfume and natural scenting agents, like essential oils, were used to mask odor1. In more recent history, absorbent fabric was used under the arms to wick sweat before it could soak through to clothes.
While, by modern standards, they probably weren't as “clean” and sweet-smelling as we consider appropriate, they would have a virtually intact microbiome. This would have helped keep their skin healthy and have reduced their amount of body odor as well.
Most fragrances in early to mid-Victorian times were delicate and floral. They were understated, feminine – and often simply conjured up the scent of a particular flower, such as jasmine, lavender, roses, honeysuckle…
Aerosols are used by 50% of European men and women; roll-ons by 27% and sticks by 13%. Once again, it is in Russia and Spain where usage varies significantly: 18% of Russians prefer to use deodorant sticks, while 37% of Spaniards choose roll-on as their preferred format.
In reality, the Vikings were, perhaps, some of the most hygienic people of their age. Viking travelers raided and settled around the British Isles for about 200 years, beginning around 800 A.D., bringing with them novel ideas such as thorough weekly bathing, daily hair combing, and regularly changing their clothing.
Wiping in the Medieval Times
This included items such as hay, wood shavings, corn cobs, and even iron cables. Ancient Romans used a sponge soaked in salt water that was shared by everyone. The wealthier families would use lace, doilies, and other more quality fabrics.
Toothbrushes as we know them today did not exist, and toothpaste was a distant concept. Instead, people relied on rudimentary methods to maintain oral health. One common method involved using sticks or twigs with frayed ends, known as “chew sticks” or “miswak,” to scrape off food particles and dental plaque.
Regular bathing was still uncommon; many people would go without washing their bodies for extended periods. Clean water was often scarce and expensive, making regular bathing a luxury that only the affluent could afford. This resulted in body odor and skin conditions being prevalent among the general population.
Tudor England was not a place where everyone smelled as sweetly as most people who shower daily today, but its people generally managed not to stink. Of course, the past did smell differently. Even so, being clean and sweet-smelling did matter to many Tudors.
Nits and lice seemed to grow in dirt and bodily secretions, both in the hair and on the skin. They could be killed with ointments, many of which contained noxious substances such as mercury.
If you're living with your senior mom or dad, you must have had those instances when a distinct greasy, grassy, and musty scent wafted up into your nose as you moved closer to them. People often call this unpleasant odor an old lady smell, but healthcare professionals call this nonenal.
Vanilla may be the world's most popular scent, but you'll find these five scent categories anywhere you run off to. We're not here to follow trends — but if you're stuck in a fragrance rut, sometimes it helps to go back to basics.
If somebody caused a bad smell, a neighbor could complain or stop it by issuing a clean-up order. City-wide rules were enacted, too. For example, the slaughter of large animals was banned in late medieval London because the butcher shops caused so much mess and so many bad smells.
The Viking males were apparently clean and pleasant smelling, as they took a bath on Saturdays, combed their hair and were well dressed.
Ponderosa Pine Bark is possibly the greatest smell on Planet Earth. Certain times of year its aroma is beyond potent. It has sort of a vanilla smell, but even better. Moments of deep communion with nature should be part of every artists life.
Wherever there were people, there was body odor. A typical American in the 1800s might take just one bath a week, and the whole family would use the same water. Men working 14 hours in fields or factories and women who spent their days in a hot kitchen might only wash by splashing themselves with water from a basin.
Between 80 and 95% of East Asians have little to none of that typical acidic body odor smell. And it all comes down to a gene mutation. While some extra deodorant swipes can feel like a necessity during these sweltering temps, there's one group that's not really sweating it.
“Filthy, dirty aristocrats were kind of the norm,” says Katherine Ashenburg, author of The Dirt on Clean: An Unsanitized History. Perceptions of odor soon changed. In the 18th and 19th centuries, bathing became more common, forging a new association between body odor and negative things, like poverty and disease.
Still, it's possible that things like diet, medical conditions or a bacterial buildup on the skin could be causing odor, Kopelman says. Hyperhidrosis, the medical term for excessive sweating, could also contribute, because bacteria thrives in moist environments.