In our modern culture, most adults, for the purposes of cleanliness, prefer to shower; i.e. soap, scrub, and shampoo under warm running water. This particular adult prefers a long soak in a garden tub filled with scalding hot water and deliciously scented bubbles, but for the sake of time, that luxury is generally indulged in only on post long run Saturdays. However, sometimes circumstances dictate cleanliness occurs via a somewhat less than the desired method.
Indoor plumbing didn’t become common in most homes until the 1950s, so how’d people practice good hygiene prior to that time?
In Roman times there were public baths; poor people essentially paid to get naked in front of the entire community, or whoever happened at be frolicking in the baths at the same time then go through a series of public, polluted bodies of water. Talk about swimming in a cesspool, eewww. Those individuals with money fared only slightly better since their baths were only shared with immediate family and perhaps houseguests.
Either way public or family bath, by today’s standards, one would hardly be considered clean following a dip in the pool. After all, there is no soap, the water isn’t fresh, and bathing ought not to be a public sport.
What other ways did people get clean? Water had to be hauled indoors, heated then poured into some type of washbasin. Full immersion was rare, that type of bathing was reserved for rivers, lakes, and ponds, but only during warmer months.
Working at a community college with a self-employed spouse means that as empty- nesters, my husband and I are free to enjoy spring break however we choose. Our first grown-up spring break was spent packing, moving, and getting our home in San Marcos ready to sell. The next year, after the house sold, it was a long-awaited honeymoon trip to Canada to see Niagara Falls and Toronto. Last year we took a road trip to Florida to visit my grandparents, my mom, and as much extended family as possible.
In 2020 with the anticipated arrival of our first grandchild along with saving for a wedding, we needed a less expensive getaway. Craving a peaceful recharge from our hectic lives, we opted for a quaint cabin in the snow-peaked mountains of New Mexico.
Sounds idyllic, right? It was, but also a bit uncomfortable for this modern woman, accustomed to the everyday common creature comforts of running water, electricity, central heat and well, running water. Did I mention there was no indoor plumbing or running water? No public Roman baths either.
When temperatures hover in the mid 40’s you don’t sweat much, which fortunately for us and all the wildlife hanging out near the cabin meant very little body odor. I say very little because no matter how you slice it, clean feet housed in thick socks and hiking boots for 12- 14 hour days, will always end up stinky.
We planned for the “inconvenience” as best we could, packing plenty of clean socks, fresh undies, extra clothes, scented wipes, hand sanitizer, and extra water for cleaning. Thankfully the cabin was stocked with multiple five-gallon water jugs as well as a refillable dispenser with a spigot, and the caretakers were just a mile down the mountain should we run low.
Lest anyone gross out, even when hot running water is readily available not everyone showers seven days a week, even me, Ms. Queen of Clean, occasionally skips a day. In the woods, we “bathed” every other day, managing even to wash our hair twice, which for me and my wild curls was quite the challenge.
Who knew bath days could be so exciting, almost giddy with us cracking jokes about feeling like Laura Ingalls Wilder from Little House on the Prairie minus the pinafore and bonnet? You would’ve thought there were free snacks and live entertainment. Well, for any bears or deer hiding in the woods outside the multiple un-curtained windows of our cabin, it was definitely a show.
While I certainly would not trade my first world, hot running water, scented bubble bath, for kettle-boiled water, washcloth, quasi-bath in the woods, it was a perfectly acceptable substitute given the circumstances. So, all I can say is, stay clean my friends, stay clean.
Until Next Time,
Becky J Miller
Warrior Princess