Personal hygiene

Personal hygiene – refers to practices that lead to cleanliness and health preservation. Examples of personal hygiene practices include hair cutting, shaving, brushing teeth, bathing daily, nail clipping, etc.   personal hygiene is also refer to good personal appearance.   hygiene encourages personal health. Everyone automatically has personal hygiene. Some people do it better than others. The idea is to keep your body hair and teeth clean, and use things like deodorants scents and mouthwash appropriately so that you do not stand out because of bad odors coming from your body or clothing. Keep your clothing clean and maintained appropriately. All of the above should be in accordance with your cultural, social and familial norms. The idea is to NOT stand out because of a lack of care for your body, clothing or other items that are typically close to you. While personal hygiene is very important, it is also important that you do not engage in these behaviors excessively; that can be as much of a problem as a lack of hygiene. Following are some points which should be inculcated in day-to-day life. The best way to keep the body clean and free of infection is to wash on a daily basis. This means taking a shower or a bath and using soap and hot water to wash away the bacteria that build up over the course of the day. This also means washing one’s hands several times a day. Since the hands touch many foreign objects as well as many familiar objects (like one’s nose, mouth, and eyes), washing hands, especially after going to the bathroom, will prevent harmful bacteria from damaging one’s health. * Wash hands thoroughly with soap after using the toilet, changing diapers, handling pets and before handling food. * Clean & trim the nails of both hands. Tie your hair before handling the food. * Kitchen should be well lighted & ventilated (with either chimney/exhaust fan) & with meshed windows. * The cooking and eating area should be preferably elevated. * Keep the cooking, washing, and utility area and kitchen clothes clean. * Protect the kitchen & food items from insects, pests & other animals. * Before spraying insecticides, in the kitchen walls/cupboards, remove all the food items. Spraying should be done during night time. Wet mop the cupboards before storing again. * Do not store raw foods (vegetables, dals, cereals, masala, i. e. powdered spices) for long periods.  ” First in first out” (FIFO) practice should be followed by all, and more so in regions where the humidity is high. * Storage of food items should be in airtight containers/utensils to protect them from dust, insects, and moisture. * Separate raw, cooked & ready to eat foods while shopping, preparing or storing foods. * De-weed the green leafy vegetables & then wash them, repeatedly in clean water till they are free from dirt/mud. * Wash & Soak the vegetables/fruits in water & then scrape. (Soaking removes pesticides, preservatives present on the surface. Vendors polish the brinjals & apples with engine oil to give a shinning look, so soak & scrub them thoroughly). * Cruciferous vegetables should be soaked in boiled water to remove worms. * Raw Vegetable/Fruits for Salads should be washed thoroughly in running water before cutting. * Do not consume cut fruits from the street vendors. * Clean the deals/cereals- wash them 2-3 times before cooking/soaking. * Transfer the cooked food into a clean serving utensil before consuming (this is to prevent the erosive action of salt/turmeric/tamarind/lemon with aluminium, brass etc.). * Boil the milk before consumption & keep it in a cool place/refrigerator to prevent curdling. Do not consume raw milk. * While buying meat/fish/poultry make sure they are freshly cut. * Clean fish/ poultry/meat thoroughly before cooking. Cook them thoroughly before consuming. * Do not leave food outside in summer months for long time. Try & eat freshly prepared food every day. * Refrigerate perishable foods promptly, prepared food and left over within 2 hours. If refrigerator is not available then regulate the amount of food cooked, so that food doesn’t have to be stored. * Do not store food for too long in the refrigerator/freezer. * Boil/filter the drinking water before storing it in a clean vessel & cover it. Use a spoon/glass with a long handle to drink water. Don’t insert your hand/fingers in drinking water. Don’t drink directly from bottles containing drinking water which are shared amongst individuals. * Do not use packed food beyond its expiry date. Do not consume food in tetra packs/tins which have leaks or are puffed, even if they are well within the expiry date.