We all know that proper hygiene is important, but when it comes to which hygiene habits take priority, we can’t always agree. Heck, we can’t even agree on some of the basic things when it comes to cleanliness, like how often to shower.
A lot of this we can chalk up to no one rule being able to apply to all humans. But some helpful habits might go undone simply because we aren’t aware of how much they can benefit our wellbeing. Or we’ve gotten so busy that we’ve forgotten them.
Luckily, the internet is a mecca of crowdsourced hacks.
Reddit user u/Away_Needleworker655 recently asked “What are some underrated hygiene tips?” and answers ranged from items (and body parts) that often go ignored to helpful products and everywhere in between.
Check out what folks are saying below. You never know what ideas you might be able to glean to make life just a little more squeaky clean.
”Baking soda works better than any other gimmicky product for stinky shoes.”
”I work for a sock design company. Sooooo many people think they have bad foot odor, and some do, but most people are just wearing really low quality all polyester socks. Switch to a cotton blend or wool blend!!!! You will see a huge difference.”
“I honestly thought ‘don’t forget to wash behind your ears’ was just a folksy way of my parents telling me to be thorough with washing. Then at some point I ran my finger behind my ear and smelled it, and got religion about washing behind my ears.”
“Washing your reusable water bottle daily to prevent bacterial growth.Changing your pillowcase frequently to prevent oil and bacteria buildup. Regularly cleaning and disinfecting your kitchen sink, as it can harbor harmful bacteria.”
“Hot water and dish soap will get rid of just as much bacteria as disinfectants so don’t worry too much about a special product. A good scrub down with dish soap and rinse with the hottest water will work just fine!”
“When cleansing your face, spend 60 seconds rubbing the cleanser in.”
“Maybe not so much hygiene per se but in order to keep your house tidy it really helps to never walk empty handed. If you’re sitting at the dinner table for example and getting up for a drink/toilet visit/whatever, put your plate and cutlery on the counter. Goes for everything that needs to be moved anyway, snack wrappers, glasses, cups etc. Takes almost no extra effort and it is a habit that’s very easy to gain. This way you’ll prevent a buildup of a seemingly manageable amount of clutter/trash. House is easier to clean and it is better for your peace of mind. So incredibly simple but turned out to be a life changer for me and some of my ADHD friends. Try it for a couple of days/weeks and it becomes so habitual that it doesn’t take any discipline to keep it up. Because I know that lack of discipline can become a (very) serious problem if you have nothing to fall back on.”
“If you are disabled, chronically ill, dealing with mental illness, etc, and struggle to shower, use baby wipes or a wet rag to wash yourself. It will help you feel refreshed, and something is better than nothing!”
“Use body cream straight after you shower and then apply your cologne or perfume whatever. It absorbs everything and you smell good for hours.”
“Floss guys. It’s not that hard and makes a huge difference.”
“Cleaning/ disinfecting your phone.”
“Your computer keyboard, too! Especially if you eat or smoke while using the computer.On a high-quality keyboard you can remove the keycaps and wash them, then take a swab and some rubbing alcohol to the spaces between the keyswitches. Laptops and cheap desktop keyboards are difficult, though. You can at least wipe off the key surfaces.”
“Take your shoes off at the door.”
“Your steering wheel is probably filthy. I use baby wipes to clean it when I’m sitting in traffic.”
“Getting a pedicure. It’s amazing! You don’t even need the color. It feels tremendous and your feet feel great!”
“Replace your toothbrush regularly! the bristles become worn and ineffective after a 3/4 months.”
…and last, but possibly most important…
“Work to figure out what makes keeping up with your hygiene difficult and keep an open mind while looking for solutions, no matter how atypical.”