For the majority of people, cleanliness is an important issue; poor hygiene is unhealthy and unacceptable. Good hygiene includes regular and thorough washing of your body, hair, and hands, as well as brushing and flossing teeth and caring for your gums. Personal care tasks may also include applying deodorant, dressing, undressing, and using proper hygiene methods for toileting.
For the majority of people, cleanliness is an important issue; poor hygiene is unhealthy and unacceptable. Good hygiene includes regular and thorough washing of your body, hair, and hands, as well as brushing and flossing teeth and caring for your gums. Personal care tasks may also include applying deodorant, dressing, undressing, and using proper hygiene methods for toileting.
Adults with disabilities may have difficulties maintaining their personal hygiene without reminders or assistance. Personal hygiene is a basic activity of daily living which is a vital life skill needed to be successful in life. Do you currently have a morning and evening routine? Do you get up, brush your teeth, brush your hair, get dressed, and eat breakfast by yourself?
A person needs to maintain hygiene, not just for the sake of their own health. Sadly, people are judged daily, and your hygiene is also judged. Therefore, it’s important to take care of yourself for social reasons. Additionally, you are exposed to other things that can impact your hygiene, like dust, pollution, traffic fuels, and cigarette smoke, among other things.
What about clothing? Your clothing becomes unpleasant and dirty at the end of the day as it is worn the entire day. Sweat begins to make a person’s body sticky, resulting in dust and dirt sticking to your body. These are reasons why you want to wear clean clothes every day.
Speaking of your clothing, who currently washes your clothes? If a family member currently washes your clothes, who will wash your clothes, fold them, and put them away when you live alone? If these are things that your family is still doing for you, it’s time to start practicing what you are capable of doing. You need to be able to demonstrate that you can take care of yourself. Taking care of your clothes isn’t a science, but you need to know how to handle stains, when to use or not use bleach, and the importance of sorting laundry.
Your overall appearance and hygiene are important to your self-esteem. If your body and clothes are clean, people will be more willing to be around you. If you smell or wear dirty clothes, others may avoid you and instead of making friends, you may be more isolated.
Resources
Updated 8/9/2023
