At my workplace, there are twenty people in my department. We don’t work with food or anything that needs to stay sanitized, but we do work with items that are passed from person to person frequently each day. When that is a routine, your personal hygiene can affect everyone around you. Perhaps you don’t think about that, but it does. I’ve witnessed co-workers exit the bathroom without washing their hands. Obviously, their personal hygiene is not of great importance to them. I hesitate to touch something after they’ve touched it. Maybe that sounds a bit too paranoid, but it isn’t always about germs being spread – it is about having respect for others. I think that I have decent personal hygiene. I always wash my hands after going to the bathroom. I always wear deodorant and bathe daily. This same co-worker who fails to wash her hands, constantly has body odor and unkempt hair. I’m not sure why she fails to realize that she has poor personal hygiene, but perhaps she just doesn’t care. Her co-workers, however, do care.
It isn’t pleasant to spend time around someone who appears unkempt and has a body odor daily. Nor is it pleasant to have a conversation with someone who has bad breath. All of those things that I mentioned are a result of poor personal hygiene. Taking care of yourself only takes a few extra moments each day and could greatly approve your appearance and the amount of respect that you receive from others. Having bad breath could chase away clients or any socialization with friends. Knowing that you don’t wash your hands not only makes others around you a bit disgusted with you, but could be spreading germs to everyone around you. Telephones and door handles are one of the biggest spreaders of germs. When people wash their hands, those germs may struggle to exist.
When it comes to personal hygiene, most of it is common knowledge. Put deodorant on so that you don’t smell. Brush your teeth several times a day. Wash your hands. Brush your hair. Maintain a healthy diet in order to not cause any other forms of personal hygiene problems. Of course, there are some health problems that are not a matter of personal hygiene. But, personal hygiene can help to prevent many problems and rid of some issues much quicker.
Respect yourself enough to take a few extra moments to have good personal hygiene. When you respect yourself that much, you will respect the others that are around you. They will be quite grateful for the care you give yourself. Trust me.