How did the ancient Egyptians brush their teeth? Who believed that bathing was bad for you? What did the ‘groom of the stool’ do for a living? What was the Roman cure for toothache? And how do astronauts go to the loo? These are just a few of the fascinating facts packed into this wise and witty book.

Dive deep into the history and science of dirt, discovering how people around the world keep themselves and their homes free from filth, how our ideas of what’s clean and what’s not have changed over the centuries, and why a little dirt can sometimes be a good thing!