Keeping ourselves and the environment clean is an essential part of our lives, but some improper hygiene can make us sick every time. Some of these immoral acts, however, should be avoided for a healthy body. These 16 hygiene mistakes we often make in our daily lives.
From an early age, we are taught the basic rules of hygiene.
We know to brush our teeth, take a shower, cut our nails, wash our hands before eating, and wear clean clothes.
However, the rules of hygiene do not end there.
Many of us make mistakes in our hygiene without even knowing it.
No matter how clean you think you are, certain habits can do more harm than good, making us vulnerable to various infections.
What are the most common mistakes in taking care of ourselves?
1. Cover your mouth and nose with your palm when you sneeze or cough
Covering your mouth and nose when coughing and sneezing is a good form and helps prevent outbreaks of infectious diseases.
If you are sick, it is best to stay at home to avoid spreading germs to other people. However, if you need to go out, cover your mouth with a tissue or the crook of your elbow when you sneeze or cough.
It is not recommended to do this in the palm of your hand. When you do this, viruses and bacteria spread to every surface you touch, from the TV remote and doorknobs to the food and hands of others you shake.
After sneezing or coughing into a tissue, throw it away and wash your hands with soap or hand sanitizer.
2. Wash your hands too quickly
Doctors never tire of repeating the importance of handwashing as the best protection against colds, flu, E. coli, coronavirus, and other diseases.
However, judging by the polls of Michigan University, only 5 percent of people wash their hands long enough to kill viruses and bacteria. What’s more, about 33 percent don’t use soap, and 10 percent don’t wash their hands at all.
Rinsing your hands quickly may not be very effective. Our hands can be contaminated with millions of pathogens, but even one microorganism can cause disease.
Whether you get out of the toilet, take out the trash, or are going to eat, the rule remains the same.
Wash your hands with soap and water for at least 20 seconds.
Remember to wash the back of your hands, the space between your fingers, and under your nails.
It is unnecessary to wash your hands with warm water, but most people wash their hands longer if the temperature is comfortable.
Rinse your hands with water and dry them.
3. Support your face with your hands
How often have you found yourself touching your face or propping your face with your hands? Every time you do this, you transfer dirt and dust to your face and stretch your skin.
What’s more, dermatologists say repeated touching can clog pores and cause breakouts on your face as you push oil, dirt, and dead cells into your skin.
This habit is tough to break, so try to pay attention when you put your face in your hands. Then try to find other ways to sit without touching your face.
4. Wipe your face after training
The habit of washing your face after exercise is refreshing and seems to be relatively healthy. However, it is best to splash some water on your face before training.
When we sweat, we tend to wipe the skin, which means you rub in the dirt, grease, and various residues, which can aggravate the appearance of acne.
Wash your face before exercising. After you sweat, your skin releases water and salt, which is safe for your skin and won’t worsen its condition.
5. Taking a hot shower
There is nothing more enjoyable than a hot, relaxing shower. As much as you feel good about it, hot water doesn’t do much good for your skin.
While many people love steam showers, experts advise avoiding scalding hot showers. Hot water opens pores, promoting water loss and washes away protective, skin-softening oils, further exacerbating water loss.
Cumulatively, this will lead to dry skin and itching.
It is recommended to shower with warm water, and if you cannot refuse hot water, gradually reduce the temperature of the water until you get used to it.
6. Use soap in the shower every day
If you are experiencing dry skin and no cream is helping you, try using soap less often instead.
There is no need to wash your body with soap every day if it is not dirty and sweaty.
Using soap every other day, rather than every day, will benefit your skin more.
First, soap dries out the skin if it does not contain moisturizing ingredients. Secondly, daily use of soap can reduce the number of beneficial bacteria that build up the skin barrier and protect the immune system.
Experts advise using mild soap as needed. This rule, however, does not apply to hands, feet, armpits, and private parts of the body, which need to be washed daily.
7. Don’t shower after exercise
Many of us will not hesitate to take a shower after a long marathon, but we are in no rush to do an easy 20-minute run on the track.
However, every time you sweat, it is essential to remove the clothes you are exercising immediately.
Sweat effortlessly lingers on dense fabrics, leading to acne, irritation, and other problems.
Showering after exercise prevents bacteria from remaining on the skin. Particular attention should be paid to areas where the skin comes into contact with equipment or areas prone to breakouts, such as the back and chest.
If you can’t shower right away, don’t worry. Take off the clothes you have been wearing right away and shower when you can. If you are prone to acne, use wet wipes to remove excess oil and bacteria from your face.
8. Don’t change the washcloth
When was the last time you bought a washcloth? If you cannot answer this question, it is safe to say that you need a new one.
Washcloths are breeding grounds for bacteria, mold, and mildew. After each use, let the washcloth dry entirely and change it often.
If you are using a terry cloth, use a fresh one every day and do not use it on your face. This is very irritating to the skin and leads to dryness, breakouts, and even boils.
9. Don’t wash your makeup brushes
Cleansing makeup brushes is something everyone knows about, but few do. Periodic deep cleaning takes only a few minutes but will keep your skin free of dirt and bacteria for a long time.
If you do not wash your brushes, they will accumulate hordes of bacteria that can seriously harm your skin.
Wash your makeup brushes with mild soap and water, and then leave them to dry.
Also, avoid sharing brushes with friends, family members, or others, as this spreads germs and causes infections.
Also, do not store brushes in a cosmetic bag or bag for too long, as bacteria multiply faster in warmth.
10. Take your phone with you to the toilet
Many of us cannot part with the phone even in the toilet. Perhaps you did this without thinking about how many bacteria would be on the screen and subsequently on your face.
But it is better to give up this habit as soon as possible. Phones are a breeding ground for dangerous bacteria and viruses and are a source of infection.
Studies have shown that, on average, there are about 17,000 strains of bacteria on the phone, which is ten times more than a toilet seat.
When we flush the toilet, it also increases the risk of catching viruses and bacteria, as small particles are sprayed into the air that may contain them.
Try not to take your phone to the bathroom and toilet, especially a public restroom, and close the toilet lid when flushing water.
11. Brush your teeth right after coffee
Many people know that frequent consumption of coffee can darken your teeth, so you may want to brush your teeth right after a cup of coffee.
However, such a habit can only harm.
Although it is recommended that you brush your teeth at least 20 minutes after a meal high in carbohydrates and sugar, you should wait another 10 minutes before brushing your teeth after an acidic meal or drink.
Acidic foods lower the pH in the mouth, and it takes some time before it returns to average.
Brushing teeth immediately after acidic foods can weaken tooth enamel and damage the protective layer, making teeth more susceptible to tooth decay and gum disease.
12. Forgetting to clean your nails
You may wash your hands regularly throughout the day, but how much time do you spend at the sink?
Many of us are in a rush to finish washing our hands and quickly get down to other things. However, it is essential to wash your hands thoroughly, especially under your nails.
Bacteria and dirt that build up under your nails are breeding grounds for infections, and if you have a habit of putting your hands in your mouth, it quickly gets to your gastrointestinal tract.
13. Clean your ears with cotton swabs
You may not like the look of earwax, but it protects the middle ear cavity from dust and other harmful substances.
Experts say that jaw movement while eating and talking helps remove old earwax, and self-cleaning of the ear occurs.
Using cotton swabs pushes the earwax further, hardening it in the canal and around the eardrum.
Doctors recommend not touching it, but if your ears are crusty, clean them around with a tissue.
14. Cut your toenails too short
Ingrown nails are just one of several problems that can arise when you cut your nails too short.
Always trim your nails straight to avoid sensitivity, inflammation, and ingrown nails.
Give your nails a few weeks to grow, and you can trim them evenly. Neatly trimmed nails will also protect you from fungus and bacteria that can hide underneath and spread to other parts of your body.
15. Forgetting to change your toothbrush
Many of us are used to rinsing our toothbrushes after every use but forget that the brush remains wet.
A wet toothbrush is a breeding ground for mold and bacteria. Every time you use it, it all ends up in your mouth, which can cause bad breath and gum disease.
After rinsing, shake off excess water and cover until dry.
Place the brush in the sun from time to time to dry it thoroughly.
If you have a shared bathroom, keep your toothbrush at least 1.2 meters away from the toilet.
Change your toothbrush every three months. Reduce this time if you are sick.
16. Reuse towels
Whether it’s for bath towels or kitchen towels, sometimes we use them after they’ve been used up long ago.
Physiological fluids, fungus, bacteria – it all stays on your towels during use.
Make it a rule to change your bath towels every three days, your hand towels every two days, and your tea towels after 1-2 uses.
