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Hygiene refers to conditions and practices that help in maintaining health and preventing the spread of diseases. Hygiene practices are the actions that are performed to ensure the cleanliness of our body, and our surroundings (homes, schools, communities and other people) for safeguarding the health from illnesses. Good hygiene prevents infectious disease such as diarrhoea, cholera, typhoid, jaundice, etc. Let us start with simple tips on  how to maintain hygiene.

Personal Hygiene:

Personal hygiene is one of the most effective ways to protect ourselves from illness. It is less likely that germs will get inside the body if people maintain good personal hygiene. Personal hygiene includes habits like bathing, hand washing and brushing teeth, etc. which keeps germs away from the body.

Healthy personal hygiene habits:

In order to minimize the risk of infection and enhance overall health, some basic personal hygiene habits should be followed. These includes following:

• Defaecation and urination: To prevent diarrhoea and other infectious diseases, use proper toilets for defecation and urination. Faecal and urine waste of infants and young children should be disposed off in a latrine or toilet or in a pit and then covered with a layer of soil. In communities where toilets and latrine facility are not available, they should make efforts to build such facilities. They can also apply for grants to build toilets from Swachh Bharat Scheme of the Govt. Under this scheme, there are provisions of construction of household toilets as well as community toilets.
• Wash your hands: Washing hands prevents illnesses and spread of infections. Germs from unwashed hands can get into food and drinks while we prepare or consume food. Germs can also be transferred to other objects like door handles, tabletops, utensils or toys, and transmitted to other person’s hands. Removing germs through hand washing therefore helps in preventing diarrhoea and respiratory, eye and skin infections.

When should you wash hands?

• After using the toilet
• Before, during, and after preparing food
• Before and after eating food
• Before and after caring for someone who is sick
• Before and after treating a cut or wound
• After cleaning up a child who has used the toilet
• After blowing your nose, coughing, or sneezing
• After touching and handling animals, animal feed, or animal waste
• After touching garbage
• When your hands are dirty

Please remember, washing hands with Ash or Mud is not recommended as, they can be contaminated. Wash hands with Soap and Clean Water.

Steps involved in hand washing:

Step-1:

• Remove rings, bangles, wrist watch or any other ornaments or bands from both hands. Roll the sleeves of garment up to elbow level.
• Wet hands and forearm up to elbow with clean water.
• Apply soap properly on wet hands and forearm up to elbow to create good leather (foam).

Step-2:

• Scrub your palms of both hands from the front and back and clean the area between your fingers.

Step-3:

• Scrub your knuckles of both hands.

Step-4:

• Scrub your thumbs of both hands.

Step-5:

• Scrub your nails of both hands by rubbing against your palms.

Step-6:

• Scrub both wrists, by moving down slowly scrubbing both the forearms.

Step-7:

• Wash your hands and forearms thoroughly with clean water. Air-dry with hands up, elbows facing the ground.
• Do not use towel or any cloth to dry the hands and not touch the ground or dirty objects after washing hands.

Bath Regularly:

Take bath every day using soap and wash your hair at regular intervals.

Brush your teeth:

Brush your teeth at least twice a day. With a toothbrush or a chewstick. Germs present in the mouth can cause tooth decay and gum disease. Brushing minimizes the accumulation of germs in mouth.

Trim your nails:

The finger and toe nails should be kept short and should be trimmed/cut regularly. Longer fingernails can accumulate more dirt and germs, which can cause infections and food poisoning. Nails should be cleaned thoroughly with soap and water while washing hands.

Wash your cloths after wearing them:  

Wash your cloths regularly and keep them clean.

Change your undergarments every day:

It is important to use clean and dry undergarments daily, to avoid infections.

Don’t share your personal items with other people:

Avoid sharing your personal items like razors, towels, handkerchiefs, comb, toothbrush, etc. with other people as it increases the likelihood of spreading infections. If you do share towels or clothing, be sure to wash them both before and after lending them to others.

Change sanitary pads or menstrual cloth regularly:

Menstruating women should use sanitary pads or clean cloth which is regularly washed and dried in direct sunlight, if use of sanitary pad is not possible. Change the sanitary pads/cloth every 4-8 hours and discard the used pads by wrapping it in a piece of paper and throw it in a closed dustbin. If reusing cloth, then wash the cloth with detergent and dry it in the sun.

Environmental/Surrounding hygiene:

Environmental/Surrounding hygiene Is controlling the environmental factors that may cause infections and diseases. It includes waste management, safe drinking water, garbage disposal and pest control. Environmental hygiene is important for the health and wellbeing of the individual, family and the community.

Tips to maintain hygiene in the surrounding:

Inside the house:

• Do not leave open containers/buckets with water inside or near your house, as these places serve as the environment for breeding mosquitoes causing malaria, dengue and chikungunya.
• Clean the ceiling, walls and appliances like fans, bulb, tube lights etc. to remove spider webs and dust.
• Sweep or mop the floors regularly.
• Clean the spilled food from the floor, table, bed, chair, etc. immediately.
• Check the drainage system to avoid water logging in bathroom, kitchen and other areas.
• Repair the pipes and taps for any leakages.
• Place dustbin in the kitchen and at other appropriate place. Make sure to empty the dustbins after use.
• Use insecticides and insect repellents to prevent insects. Make sure to keep them away from children and animals.

Outside the house:

• Check the drains to avoid water logging outside the house.
• Always sweep water that collects around your house and also make sure that the gutters close to your house are regularly cleaned so as to avoid breeding of mosquitoes and saving yourself from malaria, dengue, and chikungunya.
• Spray kerosene oil in water collected outside the house to prevent breeding of mosquitoes.
• Clean the overhead tank, at least twice a year. Contaminated water may cause food poisoning/diarrhoea.
• Throw away the garbage only in the dustbins. Do not throw them inside the home, or outside the home on the streets.
• Always make sure that the bushes close to your house are well cleared.
• Keep your pet animals like cows, buffaloes, dogs, goats etc. clean.
• Keep the animal sheds clean, dispose their waste properly in a closed dustbin and make sure to throw the waste away from human contact in a pit, and cover it with mud.
• Keep the roads, gulli, mohalla free from dung and garbage.

Keep your kitchen clean:

• Keep your utensils, knives and cooking area clean
• Use clean cloth to wipe kitchen surfaces and utensils.
• Clean the stove before and after cooking
• Ensure that the drains are kept clean and covered with a wire mesh/lid so that solid kitchen waste does not get swept into the drains and clog them.
• Clean Kitchen shelves/storage cupboards at least once every two weeks.
• Make sure that the Kitchen walls, ceilings and fittings are cleaned regularly.
• Empty dustbins and dispose the garbage daily.
• If you use a gas cylinder, make sure it is kept in a wall-ventilated place and clean its rubber tube to avoid contamination of food.
• It is important to keep the gas stove/chulha clean.
• Do not allow animals in the kitchen, especially near cooking area.
• Clean the cleaning cloths thoroughly with detergent and dry them in sun.
• Keep separate cleaning cloths for drying utensils and cleaning kitchen surfaces.

Keep your utensils clean:

• Wash and scrub the utensils with clean water and detergent
• Properly rinse the utensils in clean water
• Dry the utensils by keeping them in an inverted position.
• Stored cleaned dishes away from the dirty dishes to avoid contamination.

Pest Control:

Pests are harmful because they can contaminate food, utensils, cooking area, surfaces, hand towels, kitchen cloth, etc. with harmful germs, or poison food by their dead bodies or body parts such as excreta, hair, skin, feathers, larvae, etc.

Rules to prevent pests in the kitchen:

• Keep kitchen and food storage area ventilated, dry and clean.
• Clean the kitchen surfaces after cooking/having food.
• Dispose off garbage daily. Separate liquid and dry food waste.
• Clean dump places regularly. Fix leaking taps/pipes and do not let water accumulate anywhere.
• Check food items for the presence of insects, before purchase/storage. Check bags/sacks for insect eggs and body parts.
• Clean and dry the storage containers before storing grains.
• Keep sacks of grain/flour away from the walls, in a ventilated and well-lit place.
• Use turmeric, neem leaves etc. to safeguard the food grains from pests.
• If using pesticides tables, tie them properly in cloth before putting them in the grain containers. Make sure to remove them before using the grains.
• Keep all food items covered.
• Discard infested food. Dispose the food waste in covered dustbins only.
• Place rat/pest traps placed at holes, drains and other places from where pests are likely to enter.
• Seal crakes in and around the house. There are easy places for pests to hide.
• Where possible, fix wire mesh screens on windows, doors and ventilators to reduce entry of pests.
• Use mosquito/Insecticide sprays. Make sure to keep away from children and animals.
• Use chalk coated with insecticidal powder. Apply it carefully, away from food items and food storage, preparation and serving surfaces.
• Apply pesticide to cracks, underside of cupboards, behind the sink/washing area and other such non-visible spots that could shelter pests.
• Do not keep dirty/used utensils overnight. Make sure no leftover food is stuck on the utensils as it attracts pests.

Waste Disposal:

Many things constitute our daily household waste. These include wet waste and dry waste. Managing and disposing waste appropriately is important and useful. Here are some tips on garbage disposal and making good use of waste.

Rules for waste disposal:

• Be sure to discard waste promptly and only in covered dustbins.
• Drain liquid waste separately and put solid waste in the dustbins.
• Cover the garbage container with close fitting lids.
• Never allow garbage to remain near cooking area as it attracts insects and pests, thereby contaminating food.
• Clean the floor below the dustbins with detergent. Mop the area and let it dry before replacing the dustbins.
• Clean garbage bins regularly with water and detergent and dry them in sun, before next use.
• Do not allow any garbage to spill around the dustbin.
• If garbage has to be kept overnight before disposal, it should be kept covered in a cool, covered place.
• Avoid throwing food waste in the drain.
• Food waste can be converted to compost and used as manure for kitchen gardens or potted plants.

Segregate waste and recycle

• Separate wet and dry waste and put it in the separate dust bins.

Wet Waste (Green)

• Vegetable/fruit peels and pieces
• Leftover food

Dry waste (Blue)

• Paper
• Glassware
• Plastics
• Metals

Recycle: Paper, glass and plastics if possible. After segregation, deposit these at a recycling plant or have it picked up from your house if service for recycling material is available around your house.

Compost:

We learnt above on how to segregate waste. We can use the organic waste to make compost. Compost is made up of organic matter that has been compressed over a period of time, in the process called composting. This process recycles various organic materials, which are overwise regarded as waste products. Compost is reach in nutrients and improves the quality of the soil. It can serve as manure for kitchen garden or potted plants.

How to make compost in 7 simple steps:

1. Collect the wet waste in a container.
2. Collect dry organic matter in a small container.
3. Take large earthen pot or bucket and make 4-5 holes around the container at different levels to let air inside.
4. Line the bottom with a layer of soil.
5. Now start adding food waste in layers alternating kitchen waste and straw, sawdust, dried leaves.
6. Cover this container with a plastic sheet or a plank of wood to help retain the moisture and heat.
7. Every few days, give the pile a quick turn to provide aeration. If you think the pile is too dry, sprinkle some water so that it is moist. The compost get ready in approximately one month.

Things to remember:

• The container in which compost is being made should not be placed in the kitchen/near the cooking area. It should be placed outside the house or balcony.
• Do not compost meat, meat waste, dairy products, grease or oils of any kind. They breakdown slowly, attract rodents, insects and scavenging animals and produce unpleasant odour.

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