# Medieval Bathing

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/medieval-bathing/1009976>\
**Category:** In My Humble Opinion\
**Created:** [November 9, 2024, 7:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/medieval-bathing/1009976 "2024-11-09T07:34:35Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 5\
**Page:** 2

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**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\
**Post date:** [November 10, 2024, 12:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/medieval-bathing/1009976/21 "2024-11-10T12:40:03Z")

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I _wash_ daily, I _bathe_ once a week.

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**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\
**Post date:** [November 10, 2024, 12:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/medieval-bathing/1009976/22 "2024-11-10T12:55:43Z")

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> [@terentii](#):
>
> If you’re using soap, all of that guck will simply reattach itself to your body

This is, at the very least, an exaggeration. The _function_ of soap is to attach the dirt to the water. When you get out of the tub, the vast majority of the water remains in the tub, and a significant majority of the water adhering to your body gets absorbed by the towel.

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**Author:** ![enipla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/54ee81/32.png) [@enipla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/enipla)\
**Post date:** [November 10, 2024, 12:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/medieval-bathing/1009976/23 "2024-11-10T12:55:44Z")

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> [@puzzlegal](#):
>
> Because it’s easier to get cold water. It takes a long time for the water running out of the “hot” tap in my ensuite bathroom to actually get hot.

Living high in the mountains on well water I think our cold water comes out of the tap at 32.5 degrees f. Showering or bathing in it might kill you.

The nice thing is that a nice cold glass of water is easy.

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**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\
**Post date:** [November 10, 2024, 12:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/medieval-bathing/1009976/24 "2024-11-10T12:59:21Z")

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The first water that emerges from the faucet of my ensuite bathroom has been sitting in the pipes inside my climate-controlled house. If i wait long enough, i can get outdoor-temp or hot water. “Outdoor temp” is from below the frost line in the soil, but is fairly chilly in the winter. But i don’t wait long enough to get that, either.

I wait for hot water when i shower.

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**Author:** ![fedman1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/e495f1/32.png) [@fedman1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fedman1)\
**Post date:** [November 11, 2024, 1:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/medieval-bathing/1009976/25 "2024-11-11T13:52:03Z")

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remember that movie scene with James Bond being introduced to Japanese baths

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