5 Hygiene Hacks To Keep The Doctor Away

An apple a day keeps the doctor away. But eating an apple with dirty hands can lead you to sickness anyway. Therefore, it is extremely important to have proper hygiene to avoid getting infected, especially with COVID-19 around. Living with a germophobe brother has its perks, and one of them is picking up good cleanliness habits. Here are 5 of these hygiene hacks to help you keep the disease-causing baddies at bay.

1. Wash your hands, PROPERLY and REGULARLY!

Nowadays, one cannot go anywhere (whether online or in person) without being bombarded with reminders and information about washing hands. With that being said, I would assume that we should be on our way to getting bachelor degrees in Hand Washing. There are some steps that most guidelines miss, however, and are worth noting:

• Take your jewelry off first. If wearing any, take them off, or push them to the middle of your forearm. Wash them (rings), then wash your hands. If possible, avoid wearing jewelry for now.
• Don’t touch the tap after washing and use a paper towel to turn it off. If there are none, use your elbow.
• Dry your hands properly. Use a hand towel or if not available, an air dryer to thoroughly dry your hands. Be careful about shaking your hands while wet since the droplets could fall everywhere. Do not dry your hands on your pants or clothes, because you could pick up any viruses or bacteria all over again.
• Wash regularly. Make it a habit to do this right after you get home. After you sneeze or cough, wash your hands. Before, during, and after cooking or preparing food, wash your hands. After playing with your pets, you know it. WASH. YOUR. HANDS. See more guidelines from WHO here.

As Canadian health officer Bonnie Henry put it, “Wash your hands like you’ve been chopping jalapeños and you need to change your contacts.”

2. Sanitize your phones, EVERYDAY.

If you’re already doing this, good for you. If not, please do. We use our phones almost every minute and we place it everywhere when not. After that, we touch it again and put it to our face. If you’re washing your hands but not sanitizing a phone that you are in constant contact with, you’re not doing it right. Here’s how to do it.

3. Sanitize your workspace.

Working at a computer desk all day means you are continuously using your keyboard, mouse, work phone, etc. Without wiping those surfaces down, germs, viruses, and bacteria could thrive on them. As with phones, you want to disinfect the things you use often. Keep this in mind especially if you have shared desks or office items like laptops, pens, clickers, etc. It would be a good idea to have a box of wipes handy.

4. Avoid bringing shoes inside your home.

3rd of the hygiene hacks: leave your shoes by the door or at the foyer. Having designated indoor and outdoor slippers would also be a good idea to avoid bringing any dirt around your home. Imagine walking barefoot while a family member traipses in and out in his/her boots which could’ve touched dog poop along the way. Gross. On that note, have your pets wear shoes or wipe their paws clean after walks.

5. Shower before you sleep.

Being out and about all day, whether for work, school, chores, or leisure, means you are exposed to pollution and all sorts of viruses and icky stuff. Bringing all that with you to bed is kinda disgusting, especially if you don’t wash your sheets regularly as well. Showering before you sleep allows you to keep your bed clean and safe. Also, refrain from lying on your bed right after you come home. There’s no point in cleaning yourself up before snoozing in a dirty bed.

Good hygiene is our responsibility

I hope everyone keeps safe, calm, and clean in the coming weeks and practices sanitary habits, including these hygiene hacks, even after this pandemic blows over. Some might think these steps are way too tiresome. However, we should have good hygiene to avoid getting and spreading around any disease, including COVID-19. It’s not only a duty to ourselves and our families, but to our communities and the world as well.