# can you clean yourself by using oil and a scraper or towel **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [April 6, 2004, 11:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-clean-yourself-by-using-oil-and-a-scraper-or-towel/238642 "2004-04-06T23:23:10Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 7\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Wesley\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wesley_clark/32/20581_2.png) [@Wesley\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wesley_Clark)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2004, 11:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-clean-yourself-by-using-oil-and-a-scraper-or-towel/238642/1 "2004-04-06T23:23:10Z")
If most grime is non-polar, can you use a non polar solvent like oil, cover yourself in it, then either scrape it off or wipe it off with a towel to clean yourself? ---
**Author:** ![Eric\_II](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/9de0a6/32.png) [@Eric\_II](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eric_II)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2004, 11:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-clean-yourself-by-using-oil-and-a-scraper-or-towel/238642/2 "2004-04-06T23:34:00Z")
That’s what the Romans did. You’ll have to find your own link tho’ I’m to busy reading. ---
**Author:** ![whatami](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/85f322/32.png) [@whatami](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/whatami)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2004, 11:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-clean-yourself-by-using-oil-and-a-scraper-or-towel/238642/3 "2004-04-06T23:55:00Z")
It looks like that was _part_ of the bathing ritual. From [here.](http://www.romanbath.com/) > [@](#): > > The body was often covered with oil, and the dirt and oil would be scraped from the skin by a curved metal instrument called a strigel. Servants performed this task for the wealthy bathers, whereas the less prosperous would have to scrape themselves or rely on a friend. and again [here.](http://www.vroma.org/~bmcmanus/donovan2.html) > [@](#): > > Next, the Romans would apply an oil to their body (or if you were rich, a slave would apply it for you) and begin their daily exercise. The exercise would take place in the large courtyard in the center of the bath house called the palaestra. Exercises would include weight lifting, running, swimming and ball playing. > > Once exercise was finished, the oil that had been put on the body would be scraped off with a metal instrument called a strigil. At this time, bathing would begin. ---
**Author:** ![Dancing\_Fool](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/59ef9b/32.png) [@Dancing\_Fool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dancing_Fool)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2004, 12:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-clean-yourself-by-using-oil-and-a-scraper-or-towel/238642/4 "2004-04-07T00:40:47Z")
> [@whatami](#): > > It looks like that was _part_ of the bathing ritual. Yes, but it was the cleaning part. The actual bathing part was more like a modern swimming pool, and it was bad manners to bathe dirty. DancingFool ---
**Author:** ![Kizarvexius](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/da6949/32.png) [@Kizarvexius](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kizarvexius)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2004, 5:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-clean-yourself-by-using-oil-and-a-scraper-or-towel/238642/5 "2004-04-07T17:24:24Z")
A professor of mine stated that the scraping one received with a strigil was so pleasurable (or so painful) that the subject tended to doze off into something resembling an hypnotic state. This, she explained, is why some Roman sarcophagi use the strigil as a decorative motif (See the wavy lines in [this image](http://carlos.emory.edu/ODYSSEY/ROME/RomeCredits/D_BbottomCredits.html), for example). Comparing the tranquility of the post-bath scraping to that of death. No cite, by the way. I’m not sure I buy it myself. ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2004, 5:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-clean-yourself-by-using-oil-and-a-scraper-or-towel/238642/6 "2004-04-07T17:59:33Z")
The ancient Greeks used the strigil long before the Romans. I understand it’s used by some non-Western cultures, too. A few years ago there was a guy at the arts and crafts fair in Salem, MA selling hand-made strigils. I’m sorry I didn’t pick one up. So evidently some folks are still using them. ---
**Author:** ![Nametag](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/nametag/32/406_2.png) [@Nametag](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nametag)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2004, 6:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-clean-yourself-by-using-oil-and-a-scraper-or-towel/238642/7 "2004-04-07T18:18:22Z")
Well, that will certainly work for the organic compounds; however, most of us these days feel pretty grimy if there’s a residue of oil on the skin. I do have a tube of hair grease (bought for Hallowe’en) that is sold as a hair _cleaner_ – you work it in and comb it out, removing all manner of skin schmutz and leaving a head of hair that’s slick, clean, and shiny. Disgusting to me, but it seems appealing in a 1930s kind of way.