Tips For Personal Hygiene During Pandemic
I often say that health is the number one factor for leading a good life. When you’re healthy, you’re happier, more productive, and more motivated. It’s much easier to focus on your goals and to succeed in life. Besides, if you are sick, you can hardly enjoy your achievements. Under normal circumstances, your health should be one of your highest priorities. And, with this nasty virus on the loose, taking good care of yourself becomes crucial.
Hello everyone, and welcome back to my health series. I’m your host — Antoaneta, and today, we’ll be talking about a very important, yet often overlooked subject — personal hygiene. Even though I don’t think that anyone should need something as significant as a worldwide pandemic to keep their hygiene in check, I believe that it’s an important topic to discuss right now. Check out my other blogs such as, “ Top 7 DIY Office Cleaning Tips “.
There are a lot of things that I’d like to mention here, but I’ll try to keep things as brief as possible. I’ve split the tips into categories, based on their use. We’ll go over:
- General Hygiene tips
- Kitchen & Dining Hygiene Tips
- Bathroom & Washing Hygiene Tips
- Driving & Travelling Tips
- Shopping Hygiene Tips
Please note: The advice that I’m giving you here are mainly basic things that everyone should remember. Even though I realize that it might sound like it, I definitely don’t mean to turn you into some sort of germaphobe. Still, during the viral pandemic, you should be extra-cautious.
And now, without further ado, let’s dive right in!
How to keep yourself and your loved ones safe during a pandemic
General Hygiene tips
Starting off with the general tips, these are things that I practice daily, virus or no virus, and I’d highly advise you to do the same. Even after the virus passes, they will keep you safe and decrease your exposure to germs and other contaminants.
Wash your hands regularly
This one should really be a no-brainer. Your hands come in contact with hundreds of surfaces, and any of them could be contaminated. Do this for a minimum of 20 seconds with soap and water.
Don’t touch your face
Touching your face often is a bad idea, even when there is no viral pandemic — the skin there is sensitive and vulnerable to germs and infections. Additionally, COVID-19 spreads through contact with your eyes, nose, and mouth. So if you haven’t kicked the habit of touching your face, now is the best time to start!
Don’t touch things
When you go outside, avoid touching surfaces and objects, unless absolutely necessary.
Phone tips
When you touch your phone, remove your gloves to avoid contaminating it. Your phone doesn’t need to go out of your pocket, bag, or purse unless you have to take a call. Additionally, try to avoid putting your phone down on tables and counters. I’d also advise you to disinfect your phone when you get home, but you need to keep the manufacturer’s instructions in mind. Different models will have different requirements. Please do not damage your phone by doing something silly.
Keep your distance
COVID-19 gives us yet another reason to respect personal space. Experts suggest that we should keep at least a two-meter distance from other people in public spaces.
Keep track of your shoes and overclothes
For the time being, it’s best that you stick to one pair of going-out shoes and one jacket, that you keep near the door.
Shoes don’t come inside the house
This is yet another one of those tips that sound like a no-brainer for me, but I know that there are some people out there, who will happily walk around their homes with their shoes on. I’ve never understood this notion, and I’ve always avoided it. I personally use slippers at home, and shoes for when I go out. And, during COVID-19, I’d advise you to do the same.
And neither do the clothes
Yes, I’m well aware that some people don’t have separate sets for “going out” and “staying at home” clothes. But if you want to stay safe and minimize your risk of exposure, you definitely want to change that.
Wash your worn clothes often
No-brainer. Wash your clothes as often as possible. I wash mine daily.
Mail and deliveries
Experts advise that we give parcels, letters, and other shipments a bit of time before we open them. Currently, the virus is said to survive for a couple of days on surfaces, and I personally just give my packages two days before I touch them.
Cleaning
Keep your cleaning cloths separate and avoid swiping different surfaces with the same cloth. You should use a different cloth for your toilet, bathroom, kitchen, dishes, and living areas. I know this sounds excessive but you need to avoid cross-contamination. Personally, I wash my bamboo cleaning cloths after each use.
Handles and switches
Disinfect all handles, switches, and doorknobs daily or even several times a day.
Your Doorbell
Doorbells are a high-contact surface. Almost everyone who drops by your place, including family members, is likely to touch your doorbell. This is why you should disinfect it on a daily basis or each time it has been pressed.
Clean your home thoroughly
During times like these, keeping your home as clean and tidy as possible is a must. Some people prefer working with professional cleaners. Others enjoy taking care of their homes personally. Choose whichever approach you like, just make sure that everything from your kitchen to your bathroom is in pristine condition. I am preparing another blog to show you places that need to be cleaned especially now. Subscribe to my platform so will not miss my next blog.
Kitchen & Dining Hygiene Tips
this is a basic housekeeping rule, but again, I know that there are people who don’t follow it under normal circumstances. With COVID-19 on the loose, however, this needs to change. Use warm water and washing up liquid.
Wash your dishes after every meal
Under normal circumstances, I’m not a fan of takeout. I like knowing exactly what’s in my meal and I like to know where it’s coming from. As long as you know what you’re doing, a homemade dish will always be tastier, healthier, and fresher than anything you can buy from a restaurant. However, if you are a fan of ordering food, please be cautious during COVID-19, as your package can easily get contaminated. You don’t know if the persons that prepare the meal or are delivering the meal have the virus.
Takeout meals
Bathroom & Washing Hygiene Tips
did you know that the flush water from your toilet can spread germs and contaminants? To avoid this, simply close the lid before flushing.
Put the lid down
Some people use commercial cleaning solutions, while others (like me) prefer eco-friendly and DIY methods. Any approach is fine, as long as you clean it daily.
Disinfect your toilet button
textile rolls should not be too close to the wall. Ideally, you want them positioned in a way where they don’t touch your wall, but remain within a hand’s reach.
Keep your rolls away from the wall
Keep them in the cabinet — it is very easy for some bacterias to land on the brushes
Tooth Brushes
Driving & Travelling Hygiene Tips
If you’re like me, and you’re using gloves when going outside, you will want to be careful what you touch. Depending upon the situation (and who else gets to come inside the car), you may want to remove your gloves after you enter your vehicle.
Be smart about your gloves
When filling your car at a pump, use one gloved hand for the pump and remove the glove on your card hand. This will help keep your bank card safe from contamination.
Gas stations
Shopping Hygiene tips
When you go to the store and touch baskets or carts with your gloves, make sure that they don’t come in contact with your phone, purse, or cards. I’d recommend changing your gloves after store visits.
Be mindful of what you touch
Think long-term with your shopping and choose goods that won’t spoil quickly. Things like canned food, pasta, rice, flour, nuts, and dried fruits come to mind.
Buy products with a long shelf life
Eco-friendly items are not just healthier for your body, but your wallet as well! I’m very happy that I made the switch to zero-waste and minimalism two years ago. It has helped me save a lot of money, and the scarcity of disposable items isn’t affecting me nearly as much.
Reusable Items
My life, both in Bulgaria and in London taught me a ton about budgeting. I spent my teenage years in a student’s hostel, I got married and divorced while I was in university, I had to take care of my daughter alone, and I had to figure out living abroad when I finally came to London. Eventually, when I started my business, I also had to learn budgeting from a business point of view. If you’d like to learn more about budgeting, I’ve got a couple of useful articles in the resource section below.
Budgeting
In closing, I’d just like to remind you that this post, along with any other information you’ll find on my website is based upon my personal experience and research. I am not your doctor. As always, I’d highly advise you to do your own research, and consult with a certified professional before committing to any serious lifestyle changes.
That about wraps it up for this post. Hopefully, these tips will help keep you and your loved ones a bit safer throughout these trying times.
What about you? What measures are you taking to protect your health? Did the COVID-19 pandemic introduce significant changes to your hygiene habits? Do not hesitate to share your thoughts, ideas, and experiences in the comments below — I always love hearing from you!
Thank you all for reading, and until next time:
Stay green and motivated!
Originally published at https://www.fastklean.co.uk on April 14, 2021.
