Creating a daily routine has become the norm again thanks to lockdown. Our hygiene habits are ones that we have held for years, but are any of these routines harmful?
Interested in this, ShowersToYou.co.uk surveyed 3,183 people in April 2020 about their current hygiene practises – in the hopes of spreading awareness on its effects.
Not putting the toilet seat down has caused many arguments in households and we can see why – 77% of respondents admit to not doing it. Sources state that flushing the toilet with the toilet seat up allows clouds of bacteria to escape into the air*.
56% of respondents admitted to continuing to sit on the toilet for longer than necessary, even when they’ve finished. Mainly, this can be accredited to the tendency we have to bring our phones in with us but doing so can increase your chances of getting haemorrhoids*.
61% of participants admitted to using hygiene and beauty products past their use-by date. With people stockpiling and many items not being readily available anymore, being hyper-aware of waste is understandable.
However, doing this does prevent risks such as bacteria growth which can lead to infections and breakouts.
And not only this Showerstoyou also took the time to survey female participants on some bad hygiene habits they may be practising that can possibly affect the health of their vagina, as visits to the doctors are limited and hospital visits aren’t recommended.
33% of the women surveyed admitted to wiping back-to-front when using the toilet which can lead to UTIs. Wiping front-to-back is recommended as it limits the possibility of bacteria being transferred to the urethra.
There is a constant conversation about the effectiveness of feminine hygiene products, and Showerstoyou found that 41% of women surveyed use scented feminine hygiene products for their vagina.
However, water and soap are recommended as the best products for the job, as the vagina itself is a self-cleaning organ.
Doctor Aragona Giuseppe, a GP and medical advisor at Prescription Doctor, provides further advice and explanations on how our hygiene habits can affect our health: