Overall, a great piece from the Spectator on December 10, 1714 judges cleanliness to be a 'mark of politeness' to make bodies 'agreeable to others' and 'easy to ourselves'.

Bathing as in a submerged bath was not very common. For those that did have a large enough tub, heating and transferring the water was time consuming. Although, some locations were set up as bathing houses (such as Bath, England) and were very popular. However, we rarely bathe by those standards today, either. We shower. There is a great deal of emphasis on washing certain body parts at this time. Keeping the face clean and clear of blemishes include dozens of recipes for everything from freckles to oily skin. Washing the hands before meals, particularly when dining with others, was almost a ritual. There are many terms for an unclean person and many mentions of households with problem servants who won't keep themselves up to standards. Particularly if the servant has anything to do with the food. To call someone a slut or mention their sluttishness is to say that they are dirty and unclean.

Thomas Cogan, a physician, wrote in 1636 that he suggested on rising "wash your face and hands with clean cold water, and especially to bath and plunge the eyes therein: For that not only cleanest away the filth, but also comforteth, and greatly preserveth the sight."

The clothing is the key to staying (and appearing) clean. Men wear shirts that go up to their neck, down to their wrists, and are as long as their knees. They're made of linen, best suited to pull away moisture from the body as well as being anti-microbial. These are tucked between the legs to serve as underwear before pulling on the breeches. Women have their similar shifts, cut lower around the neck and shorter sleeved, but still preventing their skin from touching any of the outer garments. After every wearing the shirt or shift should be removed and set aside to be washed (they were sold by dozen or half-dozen). There are mentions in journals of travelers how they had to wear a shirt for a whole week and how terrible they felt. Removing this article of clothing at the end of the day removes all of the nasty stuff coming off of our bodies. There was a medical concern, outside of just being pleasant, that those unclean things our bodies naturally pushed out could make their way back in through the pores if not promptly removed.

Cleaning the other articles of clothing depends more on stains coming from outside sources, rather than body issues. Much like men's suits today. Wash the white t-shirt and the dress shirt, but only dry clean the suit if stained or worn a lot. The shirts/shifts could have been laundered with lye soap or even bleached to whiten them. Other white garments such as cravats, kerchiefs, and caps would have been laundered thoroughly to appear as white as possible as well. This is a very distinct and noticeable mark of a persons cleanliness.

When it comes to cleaning the home, I know a bit less. It was constantly recommended that bedding should be washed very regularly. Some travelers mention keeping all of their clothing on if having to sleep on a particularly unwashed bed. Many believed there was a connection between foul bedding and illness.

As reference I used Hubbub: Filth, Noise, and Stench in England, 1600-1770 and Foul Bodies: Cleanliness in Early America.