The Middle Ages weren’t exactly known for cleanliness and good hygiene. Life expectancy was significantly lower than today, partly due to inadequate medical care, poor hygiene practices, and questionable food quality. It’s hard to imagine just how unhygienic daily life truly was back then!
That’s why we’re diving into the nitty-gritty details. This list explores the harsh realities of medieval peasant life. Their existence was tough, their work grueling, and their moments of happiness were few and far between. Oh, and they were incredibly filthy! Get ready for the truly gross story of life in the Middle Ages…
10. Bathing? Forget About It!
The upper class in the Middle Ages often had tubs for bathing, but many middle-class folks (by today’s standards) didn’t. And if you were poor? Forget about it.
Peasants relied on infrequent public baths, if they were lucky. Most had to haul buckets of dirty river or illegally obtained well water to their homes. Then, they had to bathe by hand with this unheated and dirty water, being careful not to waste any. Water wasn’t easy to come by!
Those near rivers or lakes could jump in for a daily bath, but this was risky. The water was untreated and often carried germs and parasites.
Peasants generally lacked soaps and shampoos. They were mostly just washing off the day’s dirt and grime. They’d repeat this cycle endlessly. Those further from water sources bathed even less often, and some didn’t bathe at all. The stench must have been intense!
9. When Ya Gotta Go…
Wealthy people in castles had benches with holes as toilets. But most people didn’t have access to such luxuries. Instead, they used outhouses (shared with many people) or chamber pots.
When nature called, they had to use a chamber pot and try not to stink up their tiny homes. When full, they had to carefully dispose of the waste.
There were no sewage pipes like today. Peasants typically tossed their excrement into the local river—the same river they used for bathing and drinking water—or into the street!
People believed the smell of waste, not the germs, caused disease. They were eager to get rid of the smell quickly. If only they knew…
8. Clothing Conundrums
Wealthy medieval people wore layers of clothing to avoid frequent washing. Peasants usually had only one set of clothes, worn day after day.
Etiquette books advised regular clothing washing and daily underwear changes! Peasants couldn’t read these books, but the practices still trickled down.
The average peasant only had access to river or lake water. They’d scrub their clothes in the water weekly, using lye soap if they were lucky. Often, they only had the dirty river water, filled with nasty bacteria.
Rivers were heavily polluted with upstream waste. Peasants had to wash their clothes in this contaminated water. Imagine putting those clothes back on!
7. Look Out for Lice
Head lice and fleas were common in medieval times. No one knew what shampoo was, and soap was rare. Dirty river and lake water was the best they had for “bathing.”
Comb makers created fine-toothed combs to yank out lice from thick hair. Sleeping in squalor meant the lice returned quickly, though.
Peasants created delousing groups, making it a social activity! Women skilled at delousing even charged militaries for their services. Anything for a buck!
6. Hangin’ at the Cesspit
Instead of flushing toilets, peasants hung out at the cesspit. When chamber pots were full, they hauled the waste to a communal cesspit.
People also dumped old food, rotten produce, and other garbage into the pit. The smell must have been horrific! Cesspits leaked into the ground, contaminating groundwater and soil.
Contamination likely traveled to rivers and lakes. Imagine a large area where everyone tossed human and animal waste without a care.
In bigger cities, people dumped chamber pots from balconies onto the streets! This attracted mice, rats, and other vermin, creating a splattered, smelly mess.
5. Horrible Sleeping Habits
The average medieval peasant slept on a straw bed, which was better than the floor but came with issues. They slept with rats, mice, bedbugs, fleas, and lice!
People didn’t understand germs but used scented flowers and herbs to make things seem cleaner, like a medieval Febreze, but it didn’t kill the bugs!
Entire families slept together in one bed to stay warm or because they lacked money or space for multiple beds.
If one person was sick, they’d quickly spread germs to everyone else. Flu season must have been brutal with shared beds!
4. Women’s Woes
Women had it much worse than men when it came to hygiene. Menstruation was particularly challenging because tampons and pads weren’t available.
Women used dirty rags, cloth-wrapped twigs, or absorbent moss as period products. Yes, sticks, twigs, and moss!
Religious authorities considered menstruation shameful. Many women felt pressured to hide their periods from men and used scented herbs and flowers to mask the smell.
Women’s lives were hard, and their health was poor, so they likely missed periods. But menstruation was still a significant burden.
3. Primitive Dental Care
Toothbrushes didn’t exist during the Middle Ages. Peasants used twigs to remove food particles, but plaque and gingivitis were unknown concepts.
Some put wool over their teeth and rinsed with water. Wealthier people mixed salt and sage to create a primitive toothpaste to freshen their breath.
Sugar was rare in their diets, so their teeth held up better than expected.
Removing a bad tooth was barbaric, without anesthesia. Dentists were more like butchers. Peasants got drunk to dull the pain, but it rarely worked.
2. Wine for Wounds
Alcohol wasn’t just for dental work. Wine was a medicinal option to cure ailments and anesthetize patients.
Most peasants relied on prayer for health issues. But knowledge of science and medicine slowly spread.
Wine was used to clean wounds. Doctors learned to cauterize lacerations to close them. Operations involved wine and burning the skin closed.
Many people died from infections since hygiene was poorly understood, but at least they could get drunk and bathe in wine while perishing!
1. But They DID Wash Their Hands!
Many medieval peasants washed their hands often! Keeping hands clean was an important custom, showing pride in one’s appearance and good etiquette.
People washed their hands and faces in the morning and at various points throughout the day. They washed before dinner to ensure their hands were clean for the meal.
Silverware was rare. People ate with their hands, grabbing food from communal bowls. It was essential that everyone washed their hands!
Life in the Middle Ages was a far cry from our modern, sanitized world. From infrequent bathing and questionable waste disposal to shared sleeping arrangements and primitive medical practices, daily life was full of unhygienic challenges. While they may have washed their hands, the overall picture of cleanliness was certainly bleak!
What fact surprised you the most? Leave your comment below!
