It has been a while since the COVID-19 outbreak has become a global pandemic.
Based on the research about the COVID-19 virus, now we all know the virus is transmitted through respiratory droplets from infected people (through coughing and sneezing), and also touching surfaces contaminated with the virus.
The virus can survive on surfaces for a few hours up to even several days. But the good news is, simple disinfectants can kill it effectively.
To learn a lesson from the pandemic, one of the best ways to avoid these viruses is to maintain proper personal hygiene.
Staying clean can reduce your risk for the disease and other negative medical conditions that stem from bad hygiene.
Here we compiled a few simple ways to practice proper personal hygiene daily.
10 Personal Hygiene Practices
1. Wash Your Hands Frequently
First and the most important one: wash your hand.
To reduce the spread of disease, many experts have already suggested washing our hands frequently. It is one of the most effective ways to remove the dirt and bacterias on our hands.
You should wash your hands whenever you have to eat, after you eat, after going to the bathroom and when you have to touch someone.
You should also make sure you wash your hands properly and thoroughly with soap for at least 20 seconds.
2. Care for your face mask
During the period of universal mask use, sometimes you need to wear a mask with you all day to protect yourself and also make others feel comfortable around you, particularly in crowded areas such as on public transport and crowded walkways.
To ensure maximum mask hygiene, you should know how to properly use and keep your mask clean:
- Always wash the hands or use hand sanitizer before wearing your mask.
- Try not to touch the exterior of your mask while wearing it.
- When you need to remove the mask, touch only the attached strings or elastic bands.
- If you need to reuse it, you may use an antibacterial spray like EDOBIO Aroma Floreeze Spray to sanitize the surface of your face masks.
- Place your mask on a sanitized surface or tissue paper until you are going to wear it again or throw it directly when you get home.
- After removing your mask, remember to wash your hands again.
3. Use alcohol-based sanitizers
If you need to clean your hands quickly outside, use hand sanitizers.
The alcohol can kill all the viruses and bacterias almost instantly and then evaporate from your hand.
However, if you are a person who cares about beauty so much, you will know that alcohol can make your skin dry.
You may go for these top hand sanitizers, which has a good amount of moisturizer in it.
4. Avoid touching your face
Before washing your hands, avoid touching your eyes, nose and mouth.
Many health authorities have now warned us not to touch our faces in order not to get infected Covid-19.
Usually we contaminate our hands with germs while touching our surrounding surfaces or even other people.
We can then allow those germs to get into our body by touching our face. It will then make us infect ourselves with disease, by spreading the bacteria and viruses we pick up with our hands.
5. Brush Your Teeth Twice a Day
Good oral hygiene is important to your health. You should brush your teeth twice a day, once in the morning and once at night, to keep the bacteria inside your mouth as low as possible.
You should do regular dental checkups too to maintain good oral hygiene.
In addition to brushing your teeth, you can floss your teeth once a day in the middle of the day for optimal oral hygiene.
Related: EFFECTIVE CHECKLIST: HOW TO FIND A RIGHT DENTIST
6. Keep Your Nails Clean
Cleaning and trimming your nails reduces your risk of keeping viruses and bacterias inside.
You should brush them daily with soap to make sure no dirt or residue remains beneath the nail.
It is also suggested to trim the fingernails and toenails weekly. You should trim them straight across and slightly rounded at the top.
After bathing is the best time to cut your nails since they are soft because of the moisture.
7. Wear Clean Clothes
Dirty clothes can harbor bacteria that could lead to body odor or even skin irritations.
To avoid any viruses and bacterias, remember to wash your clothes with a detergent every time you wear them and dry them immediately upon rinsing.
You should wash clothing and linens on a regular basis too to keep your home in good hygiene.
8. Cover Your Mouth When Your Cough or Sneeze
This is extremely important in order not to spread germs to people nearby.
If you are not wearing a mask, please use tissue paper or your own towel.
If you have no anything to cover, then cough or sneeze into your elbow instead of the palm of your hand. Remember to turn your face away from other people around you.
After coughing or sneezing, remember to wash your hands properly with soap for at least 20 seconds.
9. Get Enough Sleep
Getting plenty of sleep is important to wellbeing, no matter how old you are. It is recommended for all adults to sleep between 8 to 10 hours a night.
Preparing a pleasant bedroom environment with comfortable sleepwear can help you relax and doze off at night.
You should maintain a relaxing pre-bed routine and a stable sleep schedule to keep it up everyday.
With enough good sleep, you will feel refreshed and be ready to take on the day every morning.
Related: HAVING SLEEPLESS NIGHT? THINGS TO DO BEFORE BED
10. Regular Healthcare Checkups
It is highly recommended to keep regular healthcare appointments. It can help you catch infections and diseases in an early stage that could be easier to treat.
Visit your dentist and doctor regularly for healthcare checkups and whenever you have a concern.
Wrap Up
Keeping good hygiene should be a part of our daily routines.
It should be our daily habit to bathe, brush our teeth carefully, visit the dentist and doctor for regular checkups, and wash our hands frequently.
It is to protect yourself and also those you care about. You should also help them learn, and make sure that they are practicing good personal hygiene.