How Did People Clean Things Before Soap?

Soap was not widely available or used until the late 19th century. So, how did people keep anything clean? They did the best they could with what they had.A lot of times this just meant using available water. People would stand in the rain or collect the rain water to rinse themselves or items with. Taking a dip in a river, lake, pond, or ocean in milder climates was common. Soaking for hours in bath houses was common. If warm water was desired, it was heated by fire.Clothes, dishes, tools, or floors might be scrubbed in water with various abrasive mediums. Sticks, stones, ashes, certain plants, pumice, and even sand would all have their place. Things might be soaked in or scrubbed with vinegar (which is still a popular cleaning agent today). Clothing might be washed often but bodies might not be. For a period of time, in some cultures it was even believed bathing skin in water would allow illness and disease to infect a person!Ancient Romans would rub their bodies with a combination of sand or ash, anoint themselves with oils, then scrape the filth off with a wooden tool. Simply rubbing the dirt away with hands or a cloth was common for many populations. Ancient Egyptians would wear cones of perfumed wax and animal fats on their heads that would melt throughout the day. In fact, many cultures focused on perfuming things to deal with stench, rather than actually cleaning.As we all know, eventually soap was discovered, and as it evolved over time, so have our cleaning practices!