How Bad Are My Personal Hygiene Habits?

Find out how you rate on a scale from clean to dirty!

Listen, everyone is a little messy sometimes! But if you're even a little grossed out by some of the bad habits you have, don't you wonder how scary they are to other people? Just answer these quick questions about your daily hygiene habits, and we'll pass the final judgement on how scary they are!

An illustration of someone with a smelly armpit.

Quizzes Are More Fun With Friends

Questions Overview

1. How often do you brush your teeth?
  1. After every meal
  2. Twice a day
  3. Once a day
  4. Every other day
2. Do you floss every day?
  1. Yup, every day!
  2. No, every few days.
  3. No, just at the dentist.
3. How often do you shower?
  1. Once a day
  2. Twice a day
  3. Every few days
  4. Once a week
4. Are you wearing deodorant?
  1. Yes!
  2. No...
  3. Not yet.
5. How frequently do you do laundry?
  1. Every week.
  2. Every few weeks.
  3. Once I run out of clothes.
  4. My clothes aren't dirty!
6. How often do you change your bed sheets?
  1. Once a week.
  2. Every 2 weeks.
  3. Once a month.
  4. You change your sheets?
7. What do you use to cover your mouth when you sneeze?
  1. My elbow
  2. My hand
  3. A tissue
  4. Nothing
8. How often do you pick your nose?
  1. Never, get a tissue!
  2. When no one is looking.
  3. Only if I'm out of tissues.
  4. Often! Nothing wrong with it.
9. Do you wash your hands after using the bathroom?
  1. Of course, every time!
  2. No, never.
  3. I do sometimes...
  4. I do most of the time!
10. Which chore are you most likely to procrastinate on?
  1. Taking out trash
  2. Sweeping
  3. Dusting
  4. Vacuuming
  5. Washing dishes
  6. Scrubbing the toilet

More Quizzes

Did you like this quiz?

Expert Advice to Have Good Hygiene

If you're looking to add new hygiene habits to your routine, there are a lot of small changes that you can make to look and feel cleaner. We spoke with professional cleaners, skincare experts, podiatrists, and dental specialists to learn some of the best habits to maintain your personal hygiene:

Skincare expert Lisset Tresvant says "Make sure you’re taking daily showers—whether that’s once or twice a day. If you don’t shower in the morning, definitely do it in the evening. When you go to bed, you’re going to sweat and accumulate oils, and you don’t want that to end up in your sheets, which can harbor bacteria."[1]

Tresvant also recommends "washing hair daily or weekly. But if you wash it in the shower, wash your body afterward to remove any shampoo or conditioner residue that may irritate your skin."[2]

Board-certified podiatrist Miguel Cunha, DPM notes, "I recommend washing your feet daily, dry them thoroughly, especially between the toes. Otherwise, moisture can lead to the fungal infections and whatnot. So you want to dry those toes early."[3]

Board-certified dentist & oral surgeon Pradeep Adatrow, DDS, MS describes the ideal oral hygiene regimen: "You have to brush your teeth twice daily, floss daily, clean your tongue daily, use proper brushing techniques to brush, rinse your mouth after every meal, have a balanced diet, and have regular dental appointments."[4]

Beauty stylist Melissa Jannes says, "Make sure your nails are always clean...if you have longer nails, [make sure] that they are cleaned underneath your nails, that you scrub them at night using a scrub brush...and make sure there's no dirt under them."[5]

Dr. Cunha adds, "I recommend that people trim the nails regularly, trim them straight across without cutting them too short and filing the edges with an emery board or nail file."[6]

Cleaning specialist Jonathan Tavarez recommends washing your hands, "before and after eating, going to the bathroom, and touching high traffic surfaces such as doors knobs, fridge doors, door handles, cell phones, and any other area of suspicion of germs."[7]

Tavarez also adds, "Cleaning daily can be a big help as it keeps your home safe from germs, and will help ease the load for those deep cleaning days."[8]

Cleaning business owner Muawiyah Namadi agrees, "Do little cleanings, like 10 minutes every day, rather than waiting until over the weekend to do a big cleaning. It's way easier to maintain a clean space than to actually get a dirty place in shape. So, that's the advice I would give people."[9]

Want to learn more?

You Might Also Like

References

  1. ↑ Lisset Tresvant. Skincare Expert. Expert Interview
  2. ↑ Lisset Tresvant. Skincare Expert. Expert Interview
  3. ↑ Miguel Cunha, DPM. Board Certified Podiatrist. Expert Interview
  4. ↑ Pradeep Adatrow, DDS, MS. Board Certified Dentist & Oral Surgeon. Expert Interview
  5. ↑ Melissa Jannes. Beauty Stylist. Expert Interview
  6. ↑ Miguel Cunha, DPM. Board Certified Podiatrist. Expert Interview
  7. ↑ Jonathan Tavarez. Cleaning Specialist. Expert Interview
  8. ↑ Jonathan Tavarez. Cleaning Specialist. Expert Interview
  9. ↑ Muawiyah Namadi. Cleaning Business Owner. Expert Interview