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This is a common myth but people absolutely did wash and do their best to stay clean. Being smelly was just as undesirable as it is now, if not more so because it was commonly associated with disease. People would have a ewer (pitcher) of water and a basin in their bedrooms and wash themselves every morning and evening with a cloth. Of course scented oils and perfumes used to be a huge business, but even people who were extremely poor could make or buy "posies" or sachets of sweet smelling herbs, grasses and flowers and carry them with them. As another poster said, they would also wear natural fibers like linen, hemp, cotton or wool that don't hold on to scents as much as polyester or rayon do. Even if they had one set of clothes, they would have at least two under clothes like shifts or shirts or tunics and wash them regularly in ammonia and hot water.
Deoderant would probably be a neat trick and on par with an expensive perfume but I doubt it would be on the level of magic.