31 Common Hygiene Mistakes Everyone Should Be Aware Of For The Greater Good Of The Population

We got in touch with HEADAs66, and the Redditor agreed to have a little chat with us about the discussion they started.

"Before I posted my question on r/AskReddit, I read an article about poor health," they told Bored Panda.

"I came up with the idea of asking Reddit users about poor hygiene because I thought it would provide a real, different perspective."

A survey of 1,813 Americans on what they considered the most critical hygiene habits found that:

• 73% of them consider personal hygiene very important;
• 50% of people won't share their hairbrush with anyone;
• 1 in 10 people share a toothbrush with their significant other, family member, or friend;
• Of those who share a toothbrush, 57% do so every day;
• 35% of people share deodorant with their significant other, family member, or friend;
• 1 in 2 people share their bars of soap with their significant other, family member, or friend;
• Nearly 1 in 3 Americans share lip balm or chapstick.

Skimping on hygiene might seem like not a big deal, but eventually, it can start affecting your life or that of the people around you.

In the most extreme cases, when left unattended, poor hygiene can breed diseases that can affect you or others.

For example, not washing your hands after you use the toilet, handle food, or touch dirty surfaces can spread bacteria, viruses, and parasites. These can lead to infections and diseases, like food poisoning, gastroenteritis, flu, and hepatitis A, just to name a few.

Poor dental hygiene can lead to tooth decay and gum disease, which, in turn, can also affect the heart, while not bathing (enough) can result in a skin condition called dermatitis neglecta and secondary infections.

"Common themes in the responses include misconceptions about ... hand hygiene, poor oral hygiene, and delaying phone calls," HEADAs66 said. "Lack of knowledge and education seems to cause this problem."

What's interesting is that information on these topics is widely available, yet the myths persist. The Redditor hypothesized that "despite comprehensive knowledge, people may neglect or forget hygiene due to busy lifestyles, misinformation or neglect of the importance of certain features."