Old-fashioned hygiene habits that are anything but clean

Servants Were Coated in Honey to Attract Flies

To protect Egyptian pharaohs from flies, servants were slathered in honey and placed near them. The idea was that the sticky layer would attract the insects, keeping them away from the ruler.

Perhaps the method worked, but it came at a cost: The poor servants had to deal with swarms of insects and unbearable stickiness – all so their pharaoh could sit in peace.