Hygiene

What Is It?

Hygiene is the basic practice of keeping our bodies clean. Practicing good hygiene allows us to interact with other people and reduces our risk of getting or spreading diseases.

What Does Good Hygiene Look Like? 

  • Shower and wash your body daily
  • Wash hair once either daily, every other day, or weekly depending on hair type
  • Brush or comb hair every day
  • Use deodorant daily
  • Brush teeth twice a day and floss daily
  • Wear clean socks and underwear every day
  • Wash hands with soap regularly especially before eating and after going to the bathroom
  • Cough and sneeze into your elbow 

Did You Know?

  • Germs can survive for up to 3 hours on your hands
  • There are between 2-10 million bacteria on your fingertips and elbows
  • The number of germs on your fingertips doubles after you use the toilet
  • Nearly 80% of illness-causing germs are spread by your hands
  • There are more germs on your phone, keyboard and cutting board than on a toilet seat
  • 1 in 5 people don’t wash their hands, and of those that do, only 30% use soap
  • You shoot droplets with up to 100,000 bacteria and viruses into the air at 100 mph when you sneeze
  • Our bodies are home to an estimated 100 trillion good bacteria, many of which live in our gut

Sources: 

The Nemours Foundation

Tri-County Health Care

Healthline


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