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Description
The Dirt on Clean: An Unsanitized HistoryA spirited chronicle of the West's ambivalent relationship with dirt The question of cleanliness is one every age and culture has answered with confidence. For the first century Roman, being clean meant a two hour soak in baths of various temperatures, scraping the body with a miniature rake, and a final application of oil. For the aristocratic Frenchman in the seventeenth century, it meant changing your shirt once a day and perhaps going so far as to
A spirited chronicle of the West's ambivalent relationship with dirt
The question of cleanliness is one every age and culture has answered with confidence. For the first-century Roman, being clean meant a two-hour soak in baths of various temperatures, scraping the body with a miniature rake, and a final application of oil. For the aristocratic Frenchman in the seventeenth century, it meant changing your shirt once a day and perhaps going so far as to dip your hands in some water. Did Napoleon know something we didn't when he wrote Josephine I will return in five days. Stop washing? And why is the German term Warmduscher--a man who washes in warm or hot water--invariably a slight against his masculinity? Katherine Ashenburg takes on such fascinating questions as these in Dirt on Clean, her charming tour of attitudes to hygiene through time. What could be more routine than taking up soap and water and washing yourself? And yet cleanliness, or the lack of it, is intimately connected to ideas as large as spirituality and sexuality, and historical events that include plagues, the Civil War, and the discovery of germs. An engrossing fusion of erudition and anecdote, Dirt on Clean considers the bizarre prescriptions of history's doctors, the hygienic peccadilloes of great authors, and the historic twists and turns that have brought us to a place Ashenburg considers hedonistic yet oversanitized.Binding Type: Paperback
Publisher: St. Martins Press-3PL
Published: 10/28/2008
ISBN: 9780374531379
Pages: 358
Weight: 1.20lbs
Size: 9.00h x 5.90w x 0.90d
Review Citations: New York Times Book Review 01/04/2009 pg. 20
Books & Culture 07/01/2009 pg. 10
Accelerated Reader Quiz #/Name: 123776 / Dirt on Clean: An Unsanitized History
Reading Level: 9.7 / Interest Level: Upper Grade / Point Value: 14
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4.2 ★★★★★
Based on 17 reviews
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Product Reviews
★★★★★ 5
I have purchased this for everyone!!!
Size: Twin, Color: White
I cannot express how perfect this comforter is. I have purchased one for every room- even the dog! It’s fluffy but not too hot. Does not attract lint, washes perfectly everytime- no pilling. The price for the quality is unmatched. I recommend this 100%
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Reviewed in the United States on May 26, 2026
★★★★★ 5
Finally we BOTH can sleep comfy!
Color: 08 - Black, Size: Queen
So for years my boyfriend has always liked “jersey sheets” or “tee shirt” sheets or sheets made of flannel. He says he doesn’t like the feeling of cold “silky” feeling sheets as he’s always cold. I’m opposite and am always hot, and anytime we stayed in a nice hotel I looked forward to being able to sleep on cooler, taught, soft sheets for a couple of nights. I was able to deal with our old sheets but the issue we both hated was after awhile any sheet we got would get pilling. We even splurged and got a $60 flannel sheet which did the same thing forcing me to shave off these little annoying fuzz balls that make it feels like there is thousands of crumbs on the sheets. I also would wash our bedding once a week because the Jersey sheets seemed to “grow” as we move around in bed making it so the sheet was not taught and super annoying to lay on. The day I would wash them they would be comfortable but ultimately by the end of the week they would be almost hanging off our mattress. I ordered these sheets on a whim and got them the same day and immediately just threw out the jersey sheet and put this on (I didn’t even wash it, I know it’s gross but I was desperate for a comfy nights sleep and they came around 8pm) when I put them on I realized how soft and comfortable they felt. I also liked how the pillow cases are larger than most pillow cases that I have had in the past. We’ve been using these sheets for about a week and I love how I don’t wake up with my pillow popping out of the case anymore. The sheets have loosed ever so slightly since a week of sleeping but still are really taught and comfortable. They are cooler than flannel or fabric sheets and are initially cold when you first lay on them but I wouldn’t consider them “cooling” but they keep me from feeing extremely hot. They are way better than I ever would have expected for the price. I look forward to laying on them at the end of each day, even my boyfriend laid in bed the day I got them and said “wow I didn’t think I would like sheets like this, these are so soft!” And fell asleep immediately. We ended up ordering a second set in grey and the color is pretty. I still have yet to wash them, I usually use 2 tide pods when washing the bedding but I might get some fabric softener (as I hear it helps with pilling) to prevent the possibility of having that happen to these sheets in the future. I am hoping they hold up well after the wash and longer use. If they start to pill after wash, I will come back and update my review. Until then, I would highly recommend these sheets for the quality and the price point that they are offered at. Honestly, at this point even if they pill months from now I probably wouldn’t even be upset as long as they stay the same price I would just buy another set as they are just that comfortable and soft.
UPDATE: So it has been about 3 months since I have purchase and used these sheets. They are still as soft as the day I first put them on. I’ve been washing them bi-weekly along with my comforter and pillowcases. I wash them with warm water using a combination of tide pods and added Downy fabric softener. They say to hang dry them in the description but I have been putting them in the dryer on medium and have been taking them out after around 20-25 minutes, they seem to dry extremely quickly. They have yet to have absolutely any pilling and also have not shrunk or stretched. Also I have a cat that is very active and also sleeps with me who enjoys kneading on my bed and I haven’t even noticed any signs of wear what so ever to the eye or to the feel. I highly recommend these sheets. I still have yet to even open the second set I purchased!
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Reviewed in the United States on January 10, 2024
★★★★★ 5
Happy With Our Purchase
Color: 07 - Charcoal, Size: King, Color: 07 - Charcoal, Size: King
When we opened the package the sheets were soft. We wash everything before we use it, so in these went. The sheets held nicely through the washing machine, the edges stayed sewn up and the sheets are still fluffy. The sheets fit nicely on our bed and have a nice cooling effect in this 80-degree weather. We think these sheets were a quality purchase that was affordable.
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Reviewed in the United States on June 6, 2026
★★★★★ 5
Honest Review
Color: 25 - Burgundy, Size: Queen
Very good product, I would highly recommend it. It is soft and keeps you cool throughout the night. I am someone who burns hot all day and night so these sheets have been a great purchase so far as I can tell. I got the red ones and they are very nice and pleasing to the eye. The quality of the sheets is high and not to bad for the price considering other products. It’s not very elastic so make sure you purchase the right size. You get 2 pillow cases and 2 sheets. The sheets seem pretty durable as well which is nice.
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Reviewed in the United States on June 8, 2026
★★★★★ 4
Utopia bedding is GREAT
Color: 15 - Sage Green, Size: King
I had never heard of Utopia before I suddenly needed to buy bedding for my adult autistic son. He has sensory issues so shopping for anything that touches his body is a bit of a nightmare. I took a gamble on these sheets but it paid off big time! He says they are the most comfortable sheets he has ever slept on and that he doesn't overheat sleeping in them. What I liked about them is that the pockets were deep enough that it fit on his oversized plush mattress easily. I love the color and the ones I bought were very true to the picture. These are soft, comfy, they look nice and they are affordable. I liked this brand so much that I went ahead and got pillows and a comforter from them as well. Its is great for my son and I am very pleased to have found a fabric he tolerates.
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Reviewed in the United States on May 16, 2026