Hygiene and Cleanliness Practices in the Elizabethan Era

Hygiene and Cleanliness Practices in the Elizabethan Era

Averey Melo

What was the Elizabethan Era?

What is Hygiene and Cleanliness Practices?

Bathing and Excretion

Hair Cleanliness

• The Elizabethan Era occurred during 1558 through 1603, during the time Queen Elizabeth I was monarch. Thus, the era was called the Elizabethan Era in memory of her ruling during that time.

• Hygiene can be defined as a practice used for cleanliness in reference to ones health and well being.
• Cleanliness practices can consist of simple acts, such as bathing, and hand washing.

• Not like how one bathes in this time period.
• Generally took place in a wooden tub that were placed near a heat source to warm up the water.
• The water itself was not clean to begin with, thus individuals would try to cleanse themselves with dirty water.
• During this time period, it was also believed that if an individual completely submerged themselves in water, that it would completely infect their skin by seeping into their pores. Thus many people chose not to bathe unless they were sure the water was clean and pure.
• Also, those who were unable to afford a wooden tub, they would nearby water sources, such as a lake or river. However, this caused issues with drowning and diseases causing many deaths to occur.
• No toilets were available during this time period. Most people would have an outside washroom which consisted of a hole in the ground. Toilet paper was not around, which led the citizen to use clumps of grass or hay for cleaning.

• Hair was not treated the way individuals today cleanse their hair.
• Shampoo and conditioner was not available to these people back in this era, which led them to use lye soap.
• Lye soap was soap that consisted of sodium hydroxide, something that is seen to day as dangerous to ones skin.
• Often, hair was washed separate from bathing and was not frequently done.

Queen Elizabeth I

Hygiene in the Elizabethan Era

Medicine in the Elizabethan Era

• Felt strongly about hygiene and always made sure she was properly cleansed.
• Every morning and night, she would use linen to wash her face and hands.
• Before and after every meal, her hands were washed and water bowls were brought between meal courses. This was due to the fact that people would use their finger to eat their meals.
• Queen Elizabeth the first had a portable bath for traveling to ensure she had somewhere to bathe going from palace to palace. Her bath tub was lined with cloth and the use of herbs for fragrance.

• Lack of sanitation and the shortage of food were common elements that contributed to the difficulty of living in this era.
• Simple practices were used in medicine in this era. Leaches were used to extract blood.
• Those who suffered plague were treated using things that were easily accessible, such as onion, butter, garlic, tobacco, lily roots, and dried toads.
• Those who suffered from stomach and head pain were treated with mint, wormwood, and balms that included rose, sage, and bay and lavender leaves.
• Medicine in this era was simple and herbal remedies were often used because of the lack of resources.
• Lifespans were seen as short due to the lack of sanitation causing disease among those who were unable to afford proper hygiene.

Other types of Cleanliness Practices

• Due to the difficulty to find clean water, and a place to properly bathe, by completely submerging their bodies into water, hygiene was not very common during this time period. Many people were covered with bugs, such as flees, due to a lack of proper hygiene.
• In comparison to today's standards, one showers almost every day throughout the week. In the Elizabethan Era, bathing for the common lower class people (which consisted of most in that time) would only get the chance to bathe a couple times a year. However, for the upper class people, such as royalty, they had the luxury of bathing at least one every few weeks.
• In contrast to today society, bathing has come a long way and has drastically changed from 1558 to 2016.

Oral Hygiene

• Another issue in this time period was oral hygiene, many people lost their teeth due to the lack of self care.
• They used "tooth cloths", which consisted of a soaked cloth. Instead of toothpaste, something called "tooth blanch" was used which was made from cuttlefish bone. This was used to whiten the teeth. After using the tooth blanch, they would rinse their mouth with white wine and sulphuric acid an wiped with another cloth.

• It was common for those living in this era to rub their bodies with the palm of their hands, or with coarse linen cloth in common areas (breast, back,stomach) gently because the skin is more sensitive and areas such as the arms, and legs more vigorously until it felt warm.
• Combing hair with a ivory comb was asked.
• Use fountain water to wash face, eyes, ears and hands.
• Perfume was used only by the upper class and its purpose was not to mask the body odour, but instead to portray wealth. The dresses worn in that time period were never washed, but instead sprayed with perfume. This was due to the fact that the material the dresses were made from were to expensive to wash, so perfume was used.