Hygiene

Hygiene is the practice of keeping the body clean to prevent infection and illness, and the avoidance of contact with infectious agents. Hygiene practices include bathing, brushing and flossing teeth, washing hands especially before eating, washing food before it is eaten, cleaning food preparation utensils and surfaces before and after preparing meals, and many others. This may help prevent infection and illness. By cleaning the body, dead skin cells are washed away with the germs, reducing their chance of entering the body.

Personal hygiene

The following are examples of personal hygiene as practiced in many cultures.

General

• Washing the body and hair.
  • Bathing
  • Showering
• Cleaning of the clothes and living area.
• Changing bedsheets when a different person sleeps on the bed.
• Cutting of nails.
• Cutting of hair.
• Cleaning of nails.
• Cleaning the house.

Hands

• Frequent washing of hands and face.
• Washing hands after using the toilet.
• Holding a tissue over the mouth or using the upper arm/elbow region when coughing or sneezing, rather than a bare hand. Alternatively, washing hands afterwards.
• Not touching animals before eating, or washing hands thoroughly between animal-touching and eating.
• Suppression of objectionable habits, such as nose-picking, touching pimples, biting fingernails etc.
• Not sharing toothbrushes, razors, towels, combs, hair brushes, and other personal objects.

Other

• Oral hygiene—taking care of the teeth and gums, and treating or preventing bad breath
  • Daily brushing (with toothpaste) and flossing the teeth, to prevent tooth decay and gum disease. This also helps treat and prevent bad breath.
  • Chewing gum or rinsing mouth with antibacterial mouthwashes (such as Listerine) can also dispel bad breath
• Avoiding contact with bodily fluids, such as blood, feces, urine, and vomit.
• Wearing clean underwear, pantyhose or tights and clothing daily. Washing working / social-uniform / clothing at a regular time-interval.
• Frequent washing of face.

Grooming

The related term personal grooming/grooming means to enhance one's physical appearance or appeal for others, by removing obvious imperfections in one's appearance or improving one's hygiene.

Many animals groom themselves and each other. Grooming in humans typically includes bathroom activities such as primping: washing and cleansing the hair, combing it to extract tangles and snarls, and styling. It can also include cosmetic care of the body, such as shaving and other forms of depilation.