That's an impossible question I understand, so let me explain.
On tv shows and in paintings and such nobles are always so pristine and clean and have nice hair / teeth. Obviously there's some exaggeration, but how much? Would there hair be clean by our shower-every-day standards, or would they appear 'greasy'? Would there skin be that clean, or would they have spots of dirt all over them, like they had just played in some mud? Obviously there's differences between people, so on average is fine. Basically I'm wondering if their hygiene would be up to snuff by todays standards.
And what about peasants? They would stand out in a crowd today, even if we put them in nice clothes, right? But how much? Would they look homeless, or would they be worse?
I understand that it's kind of impossible to answer these questions, but it's something that's always bothered me. Any information at all is appreciated, and it's my first post here so I hope this isn't breaking any rules! (I read them and the FAQ, but you never know)
So this is earlier than Medieval, but you might find it interesting:
Really common items in Viking finds are ear spoons (for earwax), combs, tweezers...it seems they primped a lot. If the word "metrosexual" existed back then, that's how Anglo-Saxons would've described them. There are complaints about those pretty-boy Vikings with their notions of combed hair and weekly baths stealing all the ladies. Apparently they'd ditch their husbands for one of those Viking guys.
See: https://www.academia.edu/4138376/Vikings_The_Pretty_Boys_of_the_Middle_Ages
On the flip side, when Muslims, who have it as part of their religion that they wash up before each of their 5 daily prayers, met the Vikings, their impression was that they were horribly, disgustingly dirty. I mean, they only bathe once a week!
They are the filthiest of all Allah’s creatures: they do not purify themselves after excreting or urinating or wash themselves when in a state of ritual impurity after coitus and do not even wash their hands after food.
(from Arab writer Ahmad ibn Fadlan)
First off, TV shows and movies depict clean hair and nice teeth because who wants to look at gross/dirty people every night for an hour. It's "based" on reality.
I read somewhere and can't remember where (it's been a year since my graduation and I majored in Medieval Economic history) that people often bathed frequently. Especially in the early medieval ages. It wasn't until the later medieval ages during the Tudor and the Stuart period that washing regularly wasn't as popular and then during the 17th, 18th, and 19th the Western world continued on this trajectory of uncleanliness.
Their hygiene (early middle ages) was pretty regular. As for their dress you can look at paintings of kings and queens and that'll give you an idea of what upper class people dressed like. As for peasants I usually think of them dressing in "farmer" attire because at heart that's what they were: farmers, fish-mongers, miners, weavers, etc. The huge population of "peasants" drove the economy. They wouldn't wear burlap bags and look miserable. Peasants worked on average 180 days a year.
They necessarily wouldn't be as clean as today or probably smell the best, but by middle age standards they would be clean. If you want to see pure disgusting hygiene you should look into the conditions people lived in and worked in during the industrial revolution in England.
SOURCE: Studied majored in medieval history