How many types of personal hygiene activities do you need to follow to maintain yourself safe from bacteria?
Assuming that you understand what is personal hygiene and its importance and that body cleaning is not only about brushing teeth, washing hands and showering regularly.
Applying these hygiene activities are not enough to maintain your body safe from unhealthy bacteria. As a result, bacteria find their way to land on or get inside your body.
While on the other side, by maintaining yourself clean, you have fewer chances to be infected by unhealthy pathogens.
Would you be interested to know which areas of the body you need to focus on when taking care of your hygiene?
Find below a complete list of different types of personal hygiene you need to follow to maintain your entire body hygienic.
The list of types of personal hygiene
1. Hand hygiene
The issue
Hands are the dirtiest part of the body because they touch many dirty things during the day.
But this is not a problem.
The problem is touching your eyes, nose, mouth or wounds with them. This allows unhealthy bacteria and microorganisms to get inside your body what may weaken your immunity or infect you with a disease.
Why you need hand hygiene?
By maintaining your hands clean and hygienic, you reduce the number of unhealthy bacteria on the hands. The cleaner your hands are the lower the risk of getting a disease is.
How to maintain good hand hygiene?
Wash your hands thoroughly with water and soap. Scrub the palm, between fingers, under fingernails and up until the wrist. When done, rinse your hands with clean running water and dry them out with a clean towel.
2. Nail hygiene
The issue
The nail needs regular maintenance because it accumulates dirt from possibly contaminated surfaces. This dirt may get inside you while eating food or touching your eyes.
From an aesthetic point of view, the black line under the fingernails looks disgusting.
Why you need nail hygiene?
By maintaining your fingernails, you may reduce the risk of contamination when touching your mouth, eyes or nose.
How to maintain your fingernails?
Rinse the dirt buildup from under the fingernails, trim them with nail clippers or scissors and don't bite them.
Don’t share your nail hygiene tools with others.
3. Face hygiene
The issue
Maintaining face hygiene means washing up your forehead, cheeks and eyes.
If you don’t do that, the skin on the face ends up being covered with a layer of sweat and dust that clogs out the skin pores and decreases the skin’s ability to breath. As a result, your face looks tired, dry and full of pimples.
Another poor face hygiene characteristic is eye discharge. This is an organic substance that accumulates on the eye during sleep which looks unattractive.
Why do you need to maintain your face hygiene?
Face washing prevents clogging out the pores on the skin and maintains your face fresh during the day. Reduces the chances to develop acne.
How to maintain your face hygiene?
Wash your face first in the morning to eliminate eye discharge accumulated during the night.
Also, wash your face a couple of times during the day when you feel that the skin on the face becomes sweaty and dirty.
4. Oral hygiene
The issue
Your mouth constantly breaks down food. Food residues stick to the teeth, on the surface of tongue and gums. These areas also have a high humidity level, which creates perfect environments for bacteria thriving in the mouth.
The more bacteria in the mouth is the higher the chances to develop oral diseases like tooth decay, cavities, gingivitis, and bad breath.
Why do you need to maintain good oral hygiene?
By maintaining good oral hygiene, you reduce the number of unhealthy bacteria in the mouth which prevents developing oral diseases.
How to maintain your oral hygiene?
1. Brush your teeth at least two times per day, before bedtime and after waking up in the morning.
2. Floss between your teeth.
3. Use an antibacterial mouthwash.
4. Use a tongue scraper or the toothbrush to clean the white coating from the surface of your tongue.
5. Visit a dentist every 6 months for a check-up.
5. Body hygiene (skin care)
The issue
The skin of the body constantly releases oils, sweat, and dead skin cells. These body discharges are the dirt that sticks up onto the inner side of your clothes generating bad body odor and developing scabies, pimple, and ringworms on the body.
Why to maintain body hygiene?
By maintaining good body hygiene, you control the release of unpleasant body odors and prevent the chances of skin irritation by dead skin cells and sweat.
How to maintain your body hygiene?
Shower, at least once per day or two, using soap.
After taking a shower or bath dry out the body with a clean towel, wear clean underwear and fresh clothes.
6. Hair hygiene
The issue
The hair produces oil that aims to keep the hair smooth and healthy. However, the excessive release of hair oil accumulates dead skin cells and dandruff from the surface of the scalp. This makes the hair look dirty.
Why to maintain hair hygiene?
Hair hygiene prevents releasing too much hair oil, washes away the the dry skin and dead cells from the surface of the scalp. This makes your hair look clean, fresh and attractive.
How to maintain hair hygiene?
Wash your hair with shampoo, once per day or two. While washing the hair, massage the shampoo into the scalp to eliminate the dead skin cells, excessive oil and dirt.
When you’re done rinse well with clear water and apply conditioner, if you want to make your hair smoother.
7. Ear hygiene
The issue
Ear wax accumulates in the ear canal. The ear wax in the canal attracts dust, looks embarrassing and leads to hearing loss.
Why to maintain ear hygiene?
By cleaning the ear wax you maintain your ears clean and prevent hearing loss.
How to maintain ear hygiene?
Clean the ear wax after showering or bathing. After showering, the wax is melted and can be easily removed from the ear.
To remove the wax from the ear canal, use a cotton stick. Don’t use it too often, though, as it tends to push the wax inside the ear tube. Use cotton sticks with caution.
If the ear wax has plugged your ears and you lost hearing, consult a doctor.
8. Foot hygiene
The issue
Wearing shoes the whole day may encounter feet sweating. This releases an awful smell, develops fungal growth and scabies giving you an irritating feeling on the feet.
Why to maintain foot hygiene?
By maintaining your feet clean you prevent the release of the awful odor and fungal growth.
How to maintain ear hygiene?
Wash your feet with soap and air out your shoes if you experience excessive sweating in them.
9. Food hygiene
The issue
One of the worst poisonings is food poisoning. You may get food poisoned after consuming expired foods, unwashed fruits, and vegetables or contaminated foods. These unhygienic foods may be carriers of unhealthy bacteria which, after getting inside your stomach, makes you throw up or feel weak.
Why to maintain food hygiene?
To prevent yourself and your family members from getting food poisoned.
How to maintain ear hygiene?
Pay attention to the expiration date when you buy packed food, wash your food before consumption, store food under appropriate temperature in the fridge and maintain the cleanliness in the place where you handle and prepare food.
10. Respiratory hygiene
The issue
During the cold and flu season, your coughs and sneezes may spread infectious microorganisms through the air, which may infect other people.
Why you need to be aware of respiratory hygiene?
Because, even if you cough or sneeze, you prevent infecting other people with your disease. Your coworker and colleagues appreciate that you keep the virus to yourself. You'll be perceived as an educated and cultural person.
How to maintain respiratory hygiene?
Carry a cloth with you and cover your mouth whenever you feel the urge of sneezing or coughing. After that wash your hands with soap and water or use a hand sanitizer.
11. Sickness hygiene
The issue
If you don't feel well but continue visiting school or workplace you may spread germs that may infect your colleagues.
Why should you be aware of sickness hygiene?
Respecting your colleague’s health and safety should be your main concern when you get sick.
If you got sick, stay home and treat yourself.
How to maintain sickness hygiene?
As soon as you encounter the sickness, try to avoid participation in any social gatherings.
12. Clothes hygiene
The issue
You wear two layers of clothing.
The internal layer clothes are underwear, pants, vest, and a T-shirt. These types of clothes are right next to your skin and which collects sweat and dead skin cells, which produces unpleasant odors.
Why to maintain your clothes clean?
By wearing clean clothing you reduce the chances when bacteria and dirt from the inner side of the clothe land on the skin of your body. This extends the time in which your body stays clean.
How to maintain your clothes clean?
Change clothes for clean and fresh ones.
Use detergent to wash dirty clothes with stains, food, vomit, or with bad smell. After that, dry out the clothes and if possible, iron them. The high temperature kills most of the bacteria existing on the clothes.
Conclusion
Maintaining a good level of personal hygiene is about maintaining all parts of your body clean and fresh.