Hygiene (PPE)

What is hygiene?

Hygiene refers to the efforts we make to maintain a clean environment and prevent the spread of germs and other illness-inducing substances. Hygiene differs from cleanliness as it includes more preventive practices. Cleanliness is an everyday activity where we remove harmful materials from our environment, whereas hygiene means making sure those materials don't enter our environment in the first place.

What are the types of hygiene?

Hygiene is mainly categorised on two levels, public and individual. Public hygiene means the collective activities a community takes in maintaining a healthy environment. This aspect has become increasingly important ever since the world has come face to face with a pandemic. Public hygiene methods are taken up in the form of excessive sanitising facilities, maintaining social distancing, setting up checkpoints to monitor an individual's temperature, supplying gloves and masks for those who have to contact many people. These are practices that help a community stay safe and healthy.

On a personal level, hygiene means how an individual takes care of themselves—for example, brushing the teeth regularly, changing clothes daily, showering, washing hands before a meal, etc. Individual hygiene is quite essential as its impacts go a long way.

What are the hazards of not maintaining hygiene?

Not taking the time to focus on your hygiene can have detrimental effects. These consequences do not just affect us from a health perspective but also hamper our social lives. For instance, if someone does thoroughly maintain physical hygiene, others will hesitate before interacting with them. Something like this is hard to point out. Many people would not have the courage to tell their friends to pay attention to their hygiene, fearing their friend's reaction. Many times, this results in others avoiding any interaction with this person, and they slowly become socially isolated, whether at home or the workplace.

Improper personal hygiene can also deprive people of opportunities. A company may not select someone as a representative if their hygiene habits make them uncomfortable to be around. Many people even miss out on job opportunities because of this reason.

In many cases, a superior may point out these faulty habits, and the circumstance leads to a lot of humiliation and insecurity.

While social isolation and humiliation are a threat that arises due to improper hygiene, there is also a plethora of health issues. Many illnesses are transmitted due to a lack of hygiene.

How does lousy hygiene increase the chances of contracting coronavirus?

The Covid-19 virus spreads mainly in the form of respiratory droplets. One may be exposed to them when an infected person coughs, sneezes, or breathes heavily near them. Hence, the responsibility falls on both parties. If one does not cover their mouth while sneezing or coughing, they are endangering other people. Likewise, if the exposed person does not maintain the proper distance or protect their face correctly, they will become carriers of the virus.

If one frequents crowded places such as parties and restaurants and does not follow social distancing rules, one could experience first-hand exposure to the virus. The respiratory droplets also cling to our doorknobs, floor mats, tables, cutlery, etc. If one does not ensure proper sanitising of these materials, the virus will likely be transmitted to all those who utilise these products.

Even if one has been exposed to the virus, they can still practice measures like showering and sanitising to get rid of it. If this isn't undertaken, then their chances of being infected and infecting other people increase tremendously.

What are other hygiene related illnesses?

There are many diseases other than the coronavirus that are still primarily transmitted through improper hygiene routines. These include bacterial infections like pneumonia, diarrhoea, and the most common of them all, food poisoning. Food poisoning is generally a result of bacteria being a part of the food one consumes. This can be avoided through proper measures that ensure the good quality of food production.

Viral diseases that spread because of bad hygiene include colds, gastroenteritis, and hepatitis A. Hepatitis A often spreads through dirty water and causes excruciating problems for the patient.

Any fungal infections like athletes' feet result from poor hygiene regimens like not washing the feet properly, wearing dirty socks, or exposing the feet and other body parts to too much moisture.

How can you maintain hygiene?

Developing a good hygiene regimen is not that hard. On an individual level, the practices you can uptake include showering regularly, washing your clothes and undergarments timely, brushing your teeth correctly, for which you can make use of a toothpaste and a good mouth wash, and washing your hands before every meal to avoid food poisoning. In terms of evading the coronavirus, you should also add wearing a mask to your list of necessities. Other measures you can practice to make sure no risk is being taken from your side includes avoiding confined places or overly crowded ones, maintaining a safe distance in the workplace or at school, etc., immediately sanitising yourself after coming home from a day of being exposed to people and always covering your mouth when you sneeze. In case you have been exposed to the virus, you should come home and immediately shower to get rid of the particles. Quarantining as a safety measure is also a very wise decision.

On a general level, communities can uphold a safe environment by banning large gatherings and postponing events that call for many people to be confined in a small space. Communities should also stress upon the importance of social distancing and penalise citizens who do not comply. Other than that, sanitising stations should be made more common so people can protect themselves as they go about their day.

What are the benefits of maintaining good hygiene?

The benefits of maintaining good hygiene include a safe everyday experience, socially and from a health perspective. Maintaining a good hygiene regimen keeps you away from a plethora of illnesses and makes it easier to stay fit. If you've been hitting the gym and swapping out your usual diet for a more nutritious one, good hygiene will promote that process. You will feel fresh and invigorated before every activity.

On a societal level, you will be a person everyone is inclined to interact with. People will find you comfortable to be around and prefer your company in all sorts of activities. This also means that you won't have to miss out on opportunities if you're working hard because of how you maintain yourself.

How do hygiene products work?

Hygiene products either prevent harmful substances from entering and attacking your body or kill the substances you come in contact with.

The face masks we offer have been manufactured according to the requirements enlisted by the World Health Organization. The material is strong enough to serve as a barrier that does not allow droplets of the virus to contact your skin and is lightweight enough that you do not experience difficulty breathing.

The hand sanitiser is the perfect choice for when you can't wait and wash your hands. It contains an optimum percentage of alcohol that makes it effective in killing germs as well as the Covid-19 virus.

It is essential to protect yourself against all threats in the time of a pandemic or even otherwise. If you want to be more thoroughly informed about how these products will help to stay secure during the pandemic, make sure to visit our website today.

Can I buy hygiene products online?

Yes! You can quickly and discreetly buy hygiene products online through our website.

Patient information leaflet