Strangest Hygiene Practices From The Middle Ages

Strangest Hygiene Practices From The Middle Ages

Shannon Quinn - December 6, 2020

Strangest Hygiene Practices From The Middle Ages
A metal ear spoon from Ethiopia. Credit: Wikimedia Commons

15. People Cleaned Their Ears With Long Spoons

Nowadays, people use q-tips to clean their ears, and some doctors recommend using rinses rather than inserting something inside your ear canal. As cringe-worthy as it sounds, people used long wooden or metal spoons called “ear scoops” or “ear picks” to remove wax. Archeologists have found them among the Vikings, as well as post-Tudor times. These same spoons could also be used for cleaning under fingernails. It was common for the Vikings to carry their ear spoon on a chain around their neck so that they never had to be without their little tool, should they ever have to clean their ears.

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