The Dirty History of Soap

    Washing with soap eventually became more common—at least for rich Europeans. Soap makers figured out how to make sweet-smelling bar soaps. Wealthy women used them on their face and hands so they would smell nice. Most regular people couldn’t afford to do the same.

    But money wasn’t the only reason to avoid bathing. Many people thought getting clean could make you sick. In fact, they believed it might even kill you.

    From the 1300s through the 1600s, a series of terrible diseases swept through Europe. The worst outbreak was called the Black Plague. It killed one out of every three Europeans. But no one had any idea what caused it. 

    One idea was that poisons got into the body through pores, the tiny openings in skin. People thought warm water opened the pores and let disease in. Dirt, on the other hand, kept sickness out. 

    Stinky King Louis, in other words, probably thought he was keeping himself healthy.

    Over time, washing with soap became more common—at least for rich Europeans. Soap makers figured out how to make bars of soap that smelled sweet. Rich women used them to smell nice. But most people did not have the money to buy those soaps.

    Money wasn’t the only reason people did not bathe. Many people thought getting clean could make you sick. They believed it might even kill you.

    From the 1300s through the 1600s, a series of diseases swept through Europe. The worst outbreak was called the Black Plague. It killed one out of every three Europeans. No one knew what caused it. 

    One idea was that poisons got into the body through pores. Pores are the tiny openings in skin. People thought warm water opened the pores. Then disease could get in. They thought dirt kept sickness out. 

    Stinky King Louis probably thought he was keeping himself healthy.

    Eventually, washing with soap became more common—at least for rich Europeans. Soap makers figured out how to make sweet-smelling bar soaps. To smell nice, wealthy women used these soaps on their face and hands. However, most regular people couldn’t afford to do the same.

    And money wasn’t the only reason people avoided bathing. Many people thought that washing up could make you sick—and that it might even kill you.

    From the 1300s through the 1600s, a series of terrible diseases swept through Europe. The worst outbreak, called the Black Plague, killed one out of every three Europeans. But no one had any idea what caused it. 

    One theory was that poisons entered the body through pores, the tiny openings in skin. People thought warm water opened the pores and allowed diseases to get in. Dirt, in contrast, kept sickness out. 

    In other words, stinky King Louis probably believed he was keeping himself healthy.

    In the late 1800s, medical science gave soap a boost. Scientists discovered that many diseases are caused by tiny living things called germs. Germs are too small to see. But they are everywhere—on the streets, in houses, and all over your body. Most germs are harmless. But some can be dangerous.

    At the time, there were no medicines to fight these invisible enemies. The only defense people had was soap. Soap lifted germs off skin so they could be rinsed away.  Bathing, it turned out, didn’t make you sick. It helped keep you healthy.

    Before long, washing up was a part of our daily life. In the 1930s, a survey asked Americans what things they couldn’t live without. Soap was in the top three (along with bread and butter).

    As for King Louis, he lived to be 77. That was old for the time. But thanks to modern science, we know it had nothing to do with the stink.  

    In the late 1800s, scientists discovered that many diseases are caused by germs. Germs are tiny living things. They are too small to see. But these invisible enemies are everywhere. They are on the streets, in houses, and all over your body. Most germs are harmless. But some can be dangerous.

    At the time, there were no medicines to fight germs. But soap lifted germs off skin so they could be rinsed away. Science made it clear that bathing didn’t make you sick. It helped keep you healthy.

    Soon, soap was a part of our daily life. In the 1930s, a survey asked Americans what they couldn’t live without. Soap was in the top three (along with bread and butter).

    As for King Louis, he lived to be 77. That was old for the time. Thanks to modern science, we know it wasn’t because of the stink.

    In the late 1800s, medical science gave soap a boost. Scientists discovered that many diseases are caused by tiny living things called germs. Germs are too small to see, but they are everywhere—on the streets, in houses, and all over your body. Most germs are harmless, but some can be dangerous.

    At the time, there were no medicines to fight these invisible enemies. The only defense people had was soap, which lifted germs off skin so they could be rinsed away. It turned out that, far from making you sick, bathing actually helped keep you healthy.

    Before long, washing ourselves with soap had become a part of our daily life. In the 1930s, a survey asked Americans what things they couldn’t live without. Soap was in the top three (along with bread and butter).

    As for King Louis, he lived to be 77. That was old for the time. But we know his long life had nothing to do with the stink—thanks to modern science!