Welcome to the world of hygiene! Most people think that it is just some word explaining that you need to take a shower, wash your hands and brush your teeth every day, but there is so much more. Hygiene is all about keeping yourself clean and healthy, considering that in everything you touch, you never know what you might catch.
Before we dive into the tips, let’s point out why hygiene is important and why you hear this word so often. To begin with, personal hygiene can make you smell great (not smelly so that people need to stay far away from you). It also helps to prevent spreading germs and keeps you from getting sick. What else do you need?
Anyway, recently one person posted in the Reddit online community about the hygiene tips that they wish more people knew about. We gathered 30 of the most popular ones for you, so feel free to share your own recommendations in the comments section!
More info: Reddit
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I wish I had known that the natural Ph of vaginal secretions was acidic enough to stain clothing and such. It would’ve saved me a lot of anxiety of wondering what was wrong with me. Yes, it IS NORMAL for this to happen.
To gain some insight on this topic, we reached out to Sally Bloomfield, who is currently Chairman of the International Scientific Forum on Home Hygiene. To begin with, she shared her top tip: “When it comes to practicing hygiene to prevent spread of infections, you need to understand that hygiene and cleanliness are not the same thing. Even if a surface looks clean, it can still be contaminated with harmful germs to cause an infection. In order to prevent the spread of infection, hands and surfaces need to be cleaned in the right way.”
Maybe this is hygiene-adjacent but to stop that old laundry smell you have to leave your washing machine open to dry out. Every time!
“The second thing that people do not understand is that effective hygiene means practicing hygiene at the key times (we call them moments), i.e. when we are doing things that can spread harmful germs,” Bloomfield elaborated. She continued by stating that these moments - targeted hygiene - occur at the most evident times, such as when we handle raw food, use the bathroom, or prepare to eat with our fingers.
PLEASE wash your reusable water bottle! i know i know refilling your water bottle is super eco friendly but you gotta make sure youre washing it regularly to avoid any gross bacteria buildup
“There are 9 key moments in our lives when the spread of harmful germs is most likely to happen,” Sally Bloomfield mentioned. Additionally, she suggested a simple practical guide that everybody can read and get deeper knowledge about targeted hygiene.
you actually have to SCRUB your FEET.. just standing in soapy water doesn't actually wash off the bacteria between your toes.. if you have stinky feet, this will most likely fix your issue.. I didn't learn this till THIS YEAR, i'm 37, i've always had some stinky feet and never knew that i actually had to bend over and scrub my toes and bottoms of my feet.. i now no longer have stinky feet!! lol so basic but also just never occured to me because i always thought the soapy water i was standing in was enough..
my wife and i were talking about shower habbits to our teen one day and she mentions to "scrub those feet!" and i looked at her and was like, "what do you mean? she's already in soapy water, the feet get cleaned automatically".. her jaw dropped and she was like "oh my, i now know why none of those powders worked on your feet, it's the fact that your actually NOT cleaning them, every time in the shower." and redditors.. she was right.. and man i felt stupid for not knowing such a simple thing.
If you don’t floss, try it once, then smell the used floss. After doing it regularly for a week, it won’t smell like that anymore. Dental hygiene is important.
Started flossing at 21 and proud I’ve kept up the habit. Thought it was unnecessary until somebody told me to try the above.
Wash your hands after you use the washroom. Seriously I'm pretty sure whenever I go to a public washroom I see 50% of the men in there just walk out without washing. Crazy to think
The third piece of advice that Bloomfield shared with us is that many people believe that dirty areas, like a dirty floor, are where germs are most likely to spread. Individuals frequently believe that keeping their homes clean will keep them safe and clear of germs. This is untrue, since potentially harmful bacteria are always present; the best way to safeguard yourself is to take precautions to avoid coming into contact with them.
For the sake of everyone else who will need the bathroom, if you're going to sit in there for 45 minutes playing on your phone while taking a dump, please courtesy flush.
I don't care how long you're in there for - I'm not the one paying your salary - but you're stinking up the room. So flush early please, and then stay as long as you like.
She finished with the thought that “Trying to protect yourself by more and more cleaning is not only ineffective, it's very time-consuming, and just increases the amount of cleaning products you have to buy.” So, if your home is crystal clear, that doesn’t mean that there are no germs and you have no chance of getting an infection.
Don’t keep wads of cash in your bra, especially if it’s summer. Money is dirty enough without being soaked in your sweat too.
1. Clean your hairbrushes, especially if you have oily hair/scalp
2. "Clean your glasses" includes the frames and nose pads
For the ladies- Using soap OUTSIDE of the girly. Do NOT put soap in the hole!! That will cause infection and basically just make you smell even more bad than you could imagine 😅
Cleaning/disinfecting your phone. It has so much bacteria and I hate when someone shows me to look at their phone and that s**ts crusty.
Floss your damn teeth. Brushing isn't enough to prevent the bad things that happen to good teeth. Ask your hygienist to show you how. 90% of people aren't doing it right.
If you have to turn off a tap, make sure you turn it off with the paper towel you used to dry your hands with. No point in losing all that hygiene to communally touched (wet) surfaces.
Washing your legs in the shower. I'm so surprised how many people don't wash their legs when they shower.
You can wash your pillows and bath mats!
Also glycolic/mandelic/salicylic acids for body odour. Keep that skin acidic and inhospitable to bacteria.
When you wash your hair, focus the shampoo on your scalp. When you rinse the run off will still wash the rest of your hair without over drying the ends. When you condition, then concentrate on the ends and avoid the scalp. Your natural oils are conditioner enough. Don't rely solely on makeup remover wipes. You're just smearing residue around your face. You still need to use a face cleanser and water. Scrub the back of your neck. Back acne is a thing you might not realize you have until the acne gets painful. It's a sign of poor hygiene, although genetics can be a factor, but it's another reason you need to get up off the couch, or whatever seat with a backing, and air out you back. Snot+eyes=pink eye Having hair touching your face can cause zits. Oily, gunky hair will be sure to give you puss bumps.
When you wash your hair, focus the shampoo on your scalp. When you rinse the run off will still wash the rest of your hair without over drying the ends. When you condition, then concentrate on the ends and avoid the scalp. Your natural oils are conditioner enough. Don't rely solely on makeup remover wipes. You're just smearing residue around your face. You still need to use a face cleanser and water. Scrub the back of your neck. Back acne is a thing you might not realize you have until the acne gets painful. It's a sign of poor hygiene, although genetics can be a factor, but it's another reason you need to get up off the couch, or whatever seat with a backing, and air out you back. Snot+eyes=pink eye Having hair touching your face can cause zits. Oily, gunky hair will be sure to give you puss bumps.
