In medieval castles, the bathrooms were most commonly called garderobes. A garderobe was typically a small, cramped room or closet built into the thickness of the castle's exterior walls. It featured a simple stone or wooden bench with a hole in the center, which opened directly into a vertical chute. This chute would drop waste either into the castle's moat or into a designated cesspit at the base of the wall. The name "garderobe" literally translates to "guarding the robe," and it is believed they were named this because the ammonia from the urine would help protect expensive clothing and furs from moths and fleas when hung nearby. In some larger castles, these areas might be referred to as "privies" or "latrines." For the lower-ranking residents of the castle, communal latrines were common, while the Lord and Lady would have their own private garderobe near their solar (private living quarters). These facilities were famously cold, drafty, and lacked any form of privacy or modern sanitation. Interestingly, garderobes also presented a security risk; there are historical accounts of attackers climbing up the waste chutes to infiltrate a castle, leading architects to design the chutes with narrow openings or iron bars to prevent entry.