The set of practices perceived by a community to be associated with the preservation of health and healthy living.
Questions tagged [hygiene]
90 questions
26
votes
1 answer
Does standing closer to the urinal prevent urine splashes?
My work has a sign in the bathrooms requesting that you stand closer to the urinals to avoid splashing onto the floor.
Is this actually a workable fact? My query is that if you stand closer, wouldn't there be more force impacting the back of the…
Mark Mayo
- 1,377
- 4
- 15
- 23
25
votes
2 answers
Is it better to floss before or after brushing the teeth?
Floss: Dental floss is a cord of thin filaments used to remove food and dental plaque from between teeth. The floss is gently inserted between the teeth and wiped along the teeth sides, especially close to the gums or underneath them. In dentistry,…
Sparkler
- 485
- 1
- 5
- 8
25
votes
1 answer
Do modern toothbrush features remove more plaque than regular toothbrushes?
The Oral-B makes some claims about their Oral-B Pro-Health All-In-One:
Oral-B Pro-Health All-In-One toothbrush has been clinically proven to remove more plaque than a regular manual toothbrush with its CrissCross® bristles, which are angled at 16°…
Makis Kar
- 465
- 4
- 11
24
votes
1 answer
Do I need to wash my hands after using the bathroom?
Source
Is hand-washing after urination and defecation merely a product of social norms, or is there a health-related reason that we wash our hands after going to the bathroom? Or is there some other reason altogether?
Cory Klein
- 459
- 2
- 5
- 10
23
votes
1 answer
Is it dangerous to mix boiled and unboiled water?
There is a popular belief in Russia that mixing boiled and unboiled water (say, adding cold unboiled water to a cup of tea to cool it) can be dangerous for one's health, even if it is safe to drink both liquids apart.
Example of the claim:
Original,…
Quassnoi
- 4,315
- 5
- 30
- 49
21
votes
1 answer
Are smartphones, keyboards, and tablets more contaminated with Staphylococcus aureus than a public toilet seat?
Source: How clean is your iPad? – a “Which?” hygiene investigation
We use them every day while eating lunch or a snack, but new Which? research has revealed tablets, smartphones and keyboards may have more bacteria lurking on them than an office…
Carlo Alterego
- 3,963
- 4
- 29
- 77
21
votes
1 answer
Do the commercially produced toilet seat covers significantly reduce the spread of disease?
In many public toilets there are disposable toilet seat covers that can be placed over the seat before sitting down. These covers certainly allay some of the "yuck factor" associated with placing one bare buttocks where so many have gone before,…
DQdlM
- 557
- 3
- 10
20
votes
1 answer
Do hot baths damage skin or nerves?
I like to take showers and baths hot enough to leave my skin pink when I come out. One of my friends has a much lower tolerance to hot water and has said that that soaking in hot water can damage the nerves. What I consider to be warmish is hot to…
AnnanFay
- 462
- 1
- 3
- 12
20
votes
1 answer
Did workers defecate in the hallways of the Palace of Versailles when they were building it?
I remember reading that workers pooped in the hallways of Versailles for their own pleasure some years ago, but can't find a confirming source by Googling. Can anyone enlighten me as to the actual history and whether what I heard is correct?
Uticensis
- 3,783
- 4
- 26
- 35
20
votes
1 answer
Are women's public restrooms dirtier and/or more bacteria-laden than the men's rooms?
When a friend was posting an article about a proposed shared wall of stalls between the men's and women's sides where the doors only opened from one side at a time to provide load-sharing (yes, he pointed out his pun), I trotted out what I "knew" as…
Sean Duggan
- 6,438
- 2
- 37
- 60
19
votes
1 answer
Do Americans use three times as much toilet paper as Europeans?
This article "5 Seemingly Innocent Ways You've Screwed The World Today" on cracked.com contains the following claim:
Delicate American bottoms prefer plush, bleached white, multi-ply paper with all the toppings. We also use three times as much…
Tom77
- 11,605
- 8
- 61
- 87
19
votes
3 answers
Is vinegar & baking soda an effective agent for disinfecting bacteria and mold?
I've seen a lot of references on the Internet stating that vinegar mixed with baking soda is an effective way to disinfect mold, bacteria, etc. I'm skeptical that it has a significant effect because vinegar (and the result of mixing baking soda:…
Brian M. Hunt
- 17,999
- 13
- 99
- 176
18
votes
1 answer
Does putting warm food in the refrigerator make it more likely to give you food poisoning than letting it cool off first and then refrigerating it?
My boss was arguing that this is true and that it's a well known fact amongst culinary professionals that you should never put hot food in the refrigerator (he used to be a baker and had restaurants and such.)
A quick Google search seems to suggest…
Kit Sunde
- 18,636
- 12
- 93
- 127
17
votes
1 answer
Can one use microfiber cloths and products to "clean without chemicals"?
There's a company called Norwex, started in Norway and now in other countries including Canada and the US, which claim its products "Clean without Chemicals":
Our line of cleaning products will save you time & money, improve health, and move…
Mike Christianson
- 273
- 1
- 2
- 6
17
votes
1 answer
Is chewing your finger nails as bad as licking a public toilet seat?
I've heard the above mentioned many times growing up that chewing your fingernails will expose you to more germs than to licking a public toilet seat.
Apologies for the provacative title, but here are quotes from the top 4 Google results from…
going
- 18,069
- 18
- 86
- 151