Interesting Cleaning Histories.
The act of cleaning things goes back thousands of years. Here are 10 little known but interesting bits of cleaning history!
🧽 1. Ancient Egyptians Invented Soap – Kind Of
Around 2800 BCE, Egyptians used a paste of animal fats and alkaline salts to clean wounds and linens.
It wasn’t like modern soap, but it served a similar antibacterial and cleansing purpose.
🧼 2. Romans Used Urine to Wash Clothes
In ancient Rome, fullers (professional launderers) used urine to clean togas.
The ammonia in urine helped remove grease and stains. Public urinals were even taxed by Emperor Vespasian.
💨 3. The Vacuum Cleaner Was Originally Horse-Drawn
In the early 1900s, "Puffing Billy" (by Hubert Cecil Booth) was a horse-drawn, gas-powered vacuum that parked outside homes.
Long hoses were fed into buildings through the windows to suck up dust. It required multiple operators.
🕯️ 4. Tallow Candles Made Walls Greasy
Before electricity, homes lit with animal-fat candles would accumulate greasy soot on walls and ceilings.
Spring cleaning originated partially from the annual scrubbing needed to remove this filth.
🧂 5. Salt as a Medieval Cleaning Agent
In medieval Europe, salt wasn’t just for seasoning – it was used to scrub cutting boards, metal cookware, and even teeth.
It was thought to have purifying powers and was used ritually and practically.
🧴 6. Listerine Started as a Surgical Antiseptic – Then a Floor Cleaner
Before becoming a mouthwash, Listerine was used in the 1800s as:
a surgical disinfectant
a floor cleaner
a treatment for gonorrhea
It was marketed as mouthwash only in the 1920s.
🏺 7. Greeks Used Oil and Scrapers to Clean Skin
Ancient Greeks didn’t use water and soap to bathe. Instead, they would rub olive oil on the skin and scrape it off with a strigil, removing dirt and sweat. This is akin to modern glass cleaning techniques using a squeegee.
💨 8. "Dusting Powder" in the 19th Century
Victorians often used a homemade dusting mixture of bran and tea leaves scattered over carpets before sweeping to trap dust and refresh fabric.
🧽 9. Sponges Were Once Harvested Like Seafood
Before synthetics, natural sea sponges were a hot commodity. Divers in the Mediterranean would risk their lives harvesting them from ocean floors.
🧹 10. The Broom Was Once a Witch’s Symbol
Beyond folklore, women accused of witchcraft were often midwives or healers who used brooms in ceremonial cleansings of birth rooms — possibly leading to the broom/witch connection.
We hope you enjoyed these interesting cleaning facts! For more information on the benefits of modern cleaning techniques, go here!