11 Best Personal Hygiene Practices You Should Adopt

Personal Hygiene Practices

In this article we will be talking about good personal hygiene practices.

Before we get into the good personal hygiene practices, lets us understand what personal hygiene is all about and categories of personal hygiene.

What Is Personal Hygiene Practices

Good personal hygiene practices involves keeping all parts of the external body clean and healthy which is very important for physical and mental health. It helps minimize your risk of infection and also enhance your overall health.

Types of Personal Hygiene

Personal hygiene can be group into:
Toilet hygiene: For example; Wash your hands after you use the restroom.

Nail hygiene: For example; Trim your nails regularly to keep them short and clean.

Teeth hygiene: For example; Brush at least twice a day for 2 minutes.

Sickness hygiene: For example; If you’re not feeling well, you should take steps to keep from spreading germs to others. This includes covering your mouth and nose when sneezing, wiping down shared surfaces with an antibacterial wipe, and not sharing any utensils or electronics. Also, immediately throw away any soiled tissues.

Hands hygiene: For example; Wash your hands.

 

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Good Personal Hygiene Practices You Should Follow

  • Bathe regularly: If possible, everybody should have a shower or a bath every day. However, there may be times when this is not possible, for example, when people are out camping or there is a shortage of water.
  • Trim your nails: This will ensure that dirt’s don’t get stuck in your nails. Note dirt’s stuck in your nails can be ingested when eating. On the other end, it doesn’t look nice when when you are moving around with dirty nails.
  • Brush your teeth: It is advised that you should brush your teeth at least twice a day to maintain good oral health. Brushing minimizes the accumulation of bacteria in your mouth, which can cause tooth decay and gum disease.
  • Floss Your Teeth Daily: In addition to brushing your teeth, floss your teeth once a day for optimal oral hygiene.
  • Wash your hands:
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The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommend washing the hands at certain times:

  1. Before, during, and after preparing food
  2. Before eating food
  3. Before and after looking after anyone who is vomiting or has diarrhea
  4. Before and after treating a cut or wound
  5. After changing diapers or cleaning up a child who has used the toilet
  6. After blowing the nose, coughing, or sneezing
  7. After touching garbage or dirty surfaces or objects
  8. After handling pets or pet-related items, such as food

The CDC has also outlined five simple steps for effective hand washing:

  1. Wet the hands with clean, running water, then turn off the tap and apply soap.
  2. Lather the hands by rubbing them together with the soap, remembering to reach the backs of the hands, between the fingers, and under the nails.
  3. Scrub the hands for at least 20 seconds, which a person can time by humming the “Happy Birthday” song twice.
  4. Rinse the hands well under clean, running water.
  5. Dry the hands using a clean towel or air dry them.

 

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Other Important Personal Hygiene Practices

  • Wear clean cloths: Dirty clothes should be washed with laundry soap before wearing them again to prevent body odour and skin infection.
  • Sun-dry your cloths: The sun’s rays helps kill some disease-causing germs and parasites
  • Cover your nose and mouth with a tissue or the hand when coughing or sneezing. If this is not done, droplets of liquid containing germs from the nose and mouth will be spread in the air and other people can breathe them in, or the droplets can get onto food.
  • Take care of your hairs: Cut low when necessary, shave where needs to be shaved.
  • Get Restful Sleep: Restful sleep is essential to wellbeing, no matter your age. It is recommended for all adults to sleep between seven to nine hours a night.
  • Create a Routine: Whatever your process may be to maintain good personal hygiene, make either a mental checklist or write it down. This way, you’ll remember and keep up with the steps you need to take to stay clean and healthy.
  • Visit the Doctor: Visit your healthcare provider when you have a concern and schedule routine check-ups, this will help catch infections and illnesses early, making it easier to treat them.
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