15 ESSENTIAL PERSONAL HYGIENE RULES - GEOGRAFÍA - 2025

The rules of personal hygiene are key to maintaining the cleanliness and cleanliness of the external body, being an important help when it comes to increasing confidence and self-esteem. Some of the most important steps are to shower, brush your teeth, or wash your hands before eating.

Likewise, personal hygiene is an effective way to defend ourselves against diseases in the environment. Having proper personal hygiene is important not only to look good, but also to prevent the spread of diseases to others.

For example, an effective way to stop the spread of disease and bacteria is to wash your hands constantly, as well as to bathe daily.

Good personal hygiene also means being careful when you get sick; be careful when sneezing and coughing, wiping objects that you touch, and throwing away objects that may have germs, such as paper towels.

Some personal hygiene habits, such as bathing, depend on the culture in which a person lives.

In most cultures a person is expected to bathe at least once a day and use deodorants to keep personal odors at bay, however other cultures may have different expectations.

Essential personal hygiene rules

1- bathe daily

The best way to get rid of any particles of dirt, sweat, and / or germs that the body may have accumulated during the day, is to bathe daily.

They prevent hygiene-related diseases and also make the person feel and look clean throughout the day.

The best way to cleanse the body is to use a sponge or towel when bathing; It is important to use a soap or cleansing lotion in the shower. In this way, dead cells, bacteria and dirt can be removed.

If you don't have time to take a shower, you can use a damp towel to wash your body at the end of the day.

2- Use deodorant / antiperspirant

The antiperspirant helps to control excess sweat, while the deodorant covers an unpleasant body color caused by sweat.

If a person chooses not to use deodorant in their daily life, they may consider using it on days when they plan to sweat excessively, such as during sports activities, or when heading to a special occasion.

If a person chooses not to use deodorant, they should wash their armpits thoroughly with soap and water to remove bacteria and unpleasant odor.

3- Wash your hair with shampoo

How regularly a person washes their hair will depend on their habits, activities, and hair type. However, it is recommended to wash it with shampoo at least once a week.

If you don't want to wash your hair every day, you can invest in a shower cap and use it when bathing.

4- wash your hands

Most infections, such as colds and gastroenteritis, are spread when germs are transmitted from dirty hands to the mouth.

Other infections are spread when a person's dirty hands come into contact with the food we eat. Hands and wrists should be washed with soap and clean water constantly. For example, hands should be washed every time:

• You use the toilet or go to the bathroom.
• Some food is going to be prepared or some food is going to be eaten.
• An animal is touched.
• You have been in contact with someone who has a cold or is sick.

5- Brush your teeth every morning and before bed

Brushing regularly helps prevent gum diseases, such as gingivitis, and bad breath; minimizes the accumulation of bacteria in the mouth.

It is especially important to brush your teeth every time you eat something sweet or sour that can cause tooth erosion.

Ideally, teeth should be brushed after every meal. If this is not possible, the minimum required for good hygiene should be twice a day. You should also visit a dentist twice a year for checkups.

6- Use dental floss

Flossing also helps keep gums strong and healthy. The bacteria that accumulate in the gums and cause periodontitis can go directly to the heart and cause serious health problems.

Unhealthy gums can also cause tooth loss; additionally they can cause problems when chewing.

You should floss every day. It does not matter if it is done before brushing your teeth or after.

7- Wash your face

Generally, the face should be washed at least twice a day. The skin on the face is more sensitive than the skin elsewhere on the body.

For this reason, you can use a cleanser specially designed for each person's skin type. The face can be washed in the shower or separately in the sink.

If you have a dry skin type, products with a high alcohol content should be avoided as this will dry out the skin more.

If you have sensitive skin, it is better to opt for hypoallergenic products that contain less harsh chemicals.

If makeup is used, it is important to use a cleanser designed to remove makeup. Makeup remover should be used before washing your face at the end of the day.

8- Cut fingernails and toenails regularly

Trimming the nails prevents potential damage to them; dirty can not get into short nails. That is why it is preferable to keep them at a suitable length. How often nails are trimmed will depend on personal taste.

It is also advisable to use an orange stick to remove the dirt and dirt that accumulates under the nails; this is useful to prevent bacterial diseases.

9- Do not share razors, towels, or makeup with other people

Sharing personal hygiene items can encourage the spread of infection. If towels or clothing are to be shared, be sure to wash them thoroughly before and after lending them.

10- Use clean clothes

Clothes worn daily should be clean and smell good. Wearing dirty clothes is a symbol of poor personal hygiene and can make a bad impression.

11- Wash clothes after wearing them

Generally, shirts must be washed after each use, while pants or shorts can be worn multiple times before requiring washing.

Before using a piece of clothing, any stains it may have should be removed. Also, any wrinkles should be ironed and lint / hair removed from clothing.

12- Do not leave the scrubbing without removing

Stacking mountains of plates, saucepans, pans or cutlery after a lunch or meal is very common in many homes. This laziness for not cleaning at the moment supposes an accumulation of bacteria very similar to those that can form in the toilet.

However, while for the bathroom if disinfectant measures are taken, in the sink we are giving way to bacteria such as Salmonella to develop.

13- Do not go barefoot

Although being barefoot is highly recommended by podiatrists and other foot experts, if the home floor is not kept clean and disinfected it can be a source of serious infections. Just as you would not go without your shoe through the dirty streets, in a home that is not clean you should do the same.

The foot is one of the areas of the body in which we pay less attention, but it is estimated that about 80% of the population has a foot condition, many of them derived from poor hygiene.

14- Take care of your lenses and contact lenses

Not keeping contact lenses and glasses in good condition can mean that you face vision problems such as conjunctivitis, keratitis, red eyes, in addition to straining your eyes because you cannot see correctly.

Some of the most common mistakes with glasses are cleaning the lenses with saliva or clothes. It should always be done with specialized products to clean it or soap and water. In turn, the lenses must be disinfected with each use, in addition to being kept in perfect condition in their case.

15- Use the bidet

The toilet has many health benefits. It does not irritate the skin, helps circulation and, above all, provides extra hygiene that toilet paper does not, for example.

Experts recommend that after defecating, the ideal is to immediately clean the anus with tap water, since this way the area will be completely clean and free from possible sources of infection.

References

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5. 15 hygiene habits that you shouldn't miss in your daily routine. Recovered from primermagazine.com.
6. Personal hygiene. Recovered from betterhealth.vic.gov.au.