Ask MetaFilter posts tagged with hygiene

Riverfront Scrub-a-Dub

yellowcandy — Wed, 11 Jun 2008 12:04:27 -0800

Complicated microbology/ecology conundrum: Just bought a little house on a river. The house has two big rocks that jut out into the water that are perfect to sit on...if it weren't for the poop on them (most in a thin, dried layer). Help me figure out a solution that maximizes sanitation and minimizes environmental impact... We think either deer, beavers or raccoons have been leaving their deposits on the rocks. Ideally, I would like to scrub the rocks clean with something that will kill any microorganisms left behind in the poop. BUT, because the rocks stick out into the water, I want to avoid using anything excessively toxic (i.e. bleach). What can I use to clean the rocks? One biologist friend recommended Dr. Bronner's Peppermint Soap (which has the added bonus of being repellent to future poopers), but I am sure there are other, possibly better solutions. What are they?

How to not pick at my face?

cachondeo45 — Thu, 24 Apr 2008 06:59:23 -0800

Hygiene Filter: Picking my face, fingernails, and more. Well, this is slightly embarrassing, but I need to address this issue already, and no one else has been able to help me so far. I pick my zits, I peel my fingernail layers, and I pick scabs, especially when I am studying or reading or at the computer. I have had this dirty, unhygienic, and relatively gross habit since I can remember. I have a friend who will slap my hand any time I go to pick a zit, but when she's not around...well, I'm not even 30 yet and I am sure I will have a crater face in no time. I'm also sure this is partially related to my AD/HD (which I have been able to manage without meds). Suggestions for breaking this icky, grody, nasty, and rude habit?

Neil Simon's - The Odd Trio

SansPoint — Sat, 08 Mar 2008 20:05:32 -0800

My housemate's are terrible slobs, to the point where I'm about to snap. What can I do? Okay, I'm no Felix Unger, but my housemates would make Oscar Madison retch.

Neither of them seem to be capable of throwing things out, they leave dishes (99.8% of which belong to me) piled in the sink with food drying on them. One leaves bits of food all over the surface and floor when he eats. The floor of the ground floor is covered in bags of stuff from when one moved in in June. It's March now. The other's room exudes a smell of rot, body odor, and unknown things.

I've tried polite asks, angry rages, promises of rewards, threats of punishment... I'm about to take all the fucking dishes out of the cabinets and lock them in my room if they don't start cleaning them. The behavior does not change.

We move out in May. I'm worried we're not going to get our security deposit back. I'm thinking that the persistant cough that one has is a result of his appallaing living conditions in his room. What the hell can I do?

No, moving out is not an option. Don't even suggest it.

Alcohol free hygiene care?

fiasco — Sat, 01 Mar 2008 12:41:48 -0800

What are some hair conditioners and body lotions that do not contain any alcohol? I am looking for hair conditioners, hair shine serums (and/or anti-frizz hair lotions), body lotions, facial moisturizers, liquid hand soaps, and other hygiene products that do not contain any alcohol. It is necessary that the products are completely alcohol free. I'd prefer not to spend an arm and a leg on a bottle of lotion but due to lack of options, am willing to pay more than average. Also, non-online options are a definite plus as there is some urgency to this request.

What are your suggestions? Thanks.

How did primitive man cope with things like body oil, pimples, and cold weather?

gttommy — Tue, 05 Feb 2008 08:41:43 -0800

How did primitive man cope with things like body oil, pimples, and cold weather? Most people take showers regularly and wear warm clothes when its cold but if we don't we get ill. How did primitive man cope?

Before they were able to make warm clothing, did excess body oil keep them warm? Did they just get used to the cold like feral children? Did they sweat a lot, unclogging their facial pores, or did they suffer teenage acne problems too?

Explanations of areas I haven't covered is welcome.

Happiness is a warm puppy who's breath doesn't smell like ass.

miss lynnster — Fri, 26 Oct 2007 16:43:27 -0800

Bad dog breath... what helps? My dog has allergies and a sensitive stomach so I make a point to feed her dog food that's natural. Up until recently her breath has been absolutely lovely... although believe it or not, she also has always had a bit of a burping problem. It has always made me laugh more than anything, though. (She's a dainty little girl dog and always looks almost embarrassed when she burps. Hee!)

Anyhow, all of the sudden when she tries to lick my face I notice her breath is getting pretty stinky. And that's not quite so funny. She is 2 1/2 and has nice white teeth, so I don't think it's tooth decay. Because of her allergies it makes more sense to me that it might be diet... but I'm not sure what to do about it because I'm just glad I have found dog food she isn't allergic to. (When I first got her, she threw up the first three brands I tried.)

In the store, I see all sorts of green bones "for breath" and other stuff... Doggie mints, whatever. I don't know if any of them work. Is there anything natural that I could just add to her diet that would make her breath become better?

Ideas? Have you found anything simple and natural that might help my puppy's breath become fresh? 'Cuz otherwise she's not getting anywhere near my face, which is a bummer because she's freaking awesome.

As always, the obligatory photo of said stinky, dainty dog.

How to smell good without cologne?

Malad — Wed, 29 Aug 2007 17:14:45 -0800

As a guy, how do you smell really good without the use of cologne? Some people, I've noticed, have a great fresh smell to them, but I'm not sure how they get it. I try using scented soaps, but it doesn't give nearly as strong an effect. Is it lotion? Does skin type matter?

Cologne picking tips

joshuaconner — Sun, 26 Aug 2007 00:33:18 -0800

Cologne picking advice: it can't be as simple as "just pick what your like" or "bring a girl with you and buy what she likes"... can it?

I have black hairy tongue! Yikes! Advice?

cortex — Thu, 09 Aug 2007 17:10:24 -0800

Following some dental adventures, I seem to have some lingua villosa nigra, aka "black [hairy] tongue". Reportedly harmless, but is there anything (a) I should know or worry about, and (b) I can do to quash it on the double? I've found some documentation online [e.g. 1, 2, 3] which seems to match up with what I'm experiencing well: it's painless and otherwise asymptomatic, and I've been using a crazy powerful mouthwash for the last week as prescribed by my oral surgeon after an extraction last Tuesday.

My oral hygiene the last week is impeccable, and I haven't been flirting with any of the other commonly mentioned personal-habit causes other than a cup of coffee every other day. The bio-wasteland my mouthwash has brought on seems like the culprit.

I've set up an appointment with the mouth man for tomorrow evening, which will hopefully confirm that this is what's going on, but I'm curious what specific experiences folks have had with this, and if there's anything particularly helpful to do to de-funk my mouth besides the apparently standard advice of gentle tongue-brushing and mild peroxide rinses.

Ambient bad apartment smell?

everichon — Mon, 11 Jun 2007 14:28:22 -0800

We just bought a house with a separate, finished apartment. The apartment turns out to have a smell, and we can't figure out where it's coming from. The smell is bad: part must, part mildew, and part warmed catfood. So my questions are: 1. Does this smell sound familiar to anyone? (As in, "Oho, that's plainly mildew he's talking about; he should check the blah blah!") 2. Ways to pinpoint an ambient smell? I am going under the apartment this afternoon :( but if I i don't find any carcasses under there, I am out of moves.

What to do with too much body hair?

Anonymous — Thu, 24 May 2007 08:03:48 -0800

Excessive body hair... what to do? (Probably NSFW) Okay, so I'm a 20 y/o male. And I'm hairy. We're talking a good 1/2 inch to 2 inches (dependent on region) of growth from top of head all the way down to my toenails.

I'm having a few issues with it in the, erm, downstairs region.

Basically its excessively long in the undercarriage region, and have been using hair removal cream in the surrounding areas, but there is still some hair close to the, erm, number 2 hole region that I'm not wanting to go near with wax, razor or hair removal cream. I'm having to keep it clear due to being hospitalised with Pilonidal sinuses (google it - but expect some not very nice images) twice already in my short number of years, and I'm petfied in getting them again)

So basically, my question is: what to do about it? Its got to the extent where I have a shower after every number 2, and its just a bit crazy, and a lot of effort. Is there a hair removal option I haven't thought about? Something relatively easy?

Is anyone else here exceptionally hairy? How do you cope with it?

Thanks for your time. Posted anonymously as some peers read MeFi and I don't want this conversation down the pub later...

No April Showers

Anonymous — Mon, 09 Apr 2007 14:36:34 -0800

My significant other has, over the last few years, taken fewer and fewer showers. She now takes about one per week (yes I keep tabs). I don't notice any smells although her hair can get that needs-washing look. [more inside] It's starting to bother me and gross me out. I've had a talk with her about this and explained that it also makes it hard for me to initiate sex when I have this on my mind (which has also been more and more infrequent). She politely said 'yeah, ok' and seemed to increase her shower frequency. A week after that shower, she decides to take another one.... It was another week before she had one again.

Now, if I mention it she seems to think I'm annoying her on purpose. I'm not sure what to do about it other than have another "we need to talk" moment.

She's in her mid-thirties and I would also like to point out that this wasn't the case when we first started seeing each other a few years ago. I love her but increasingly think of her as being gross. Also note that I am not a clean freak in the least.

My question is - what can I do about this or should I do anything about this? Am I being unrealistic? Is this related to our decrease in sex?

Refilling contact lens solution bottles - eye or nay?

Mutant — Tue, 03 Apr 2007 10:09:04 -0800

Refilling contact lens solution bottles with contact lens solution? I live in London and travel a great deal on biz, both long haul as well about Europe.

Recently The European Union enacted travel rules, restricting the volume of liquids in carry on luggage to 100ml or less per bottle. There is no way to circumvent this restriction; if your bottle is capable of holding more than 100ml, even if partially full security will confiscate it.

This presents a problem, as I'm frugal and prefer to purchase contact lens solution in bottles of 500ml or larger. Recently I bought a new brand of contact lens solution and noticed that their 100ml bottles have a spout which is fitted, NOT molded into the plastic; in other words, I can pry the spout off, empty the bottle or even refill it should I choose to do so.

So if I'm careful about hygiene, always washing my hands, being sure never to contaminate the tip of either bottle, is this a good or bad idea?

I already wear daily disposables, reuse mine and don't want to discard a fresh pair. And I know that I could check my bag with bottles larger than 100ml, but that's not viable because of my schedule - sometimes I'll visit three cities in one and a half days and a lost bag just ain't gonna find me.

Many thanks for your help!

She's qualified, but she smells bad!

Anonymous — Tue, 27 Mar 2007 13:58:30 -0800

Help me not smell like smoke on my job interview! Yes, I am well aware that I should quit, and I'm also well aware that I just shouldn't smoke before my interview.

However, my interview is going to be very long, and will happen later in the day, and I will be nervous. I would much rather not be thinking about how badly I want to smoke throughout the whole thing. Unfortunately I won't be able to quickly change clothes before my interview.

I know the regular tricks, breath mints, wash hands, apply hand lotion, remove jacket and any other items of clothing that can be easily removed.

Anybody else got any other tips that I'm not thinking of? I'm a girl, if it helps. And I'm posting this anonymously in case any of my coworkers who read this site happen upon this.

Ears! Help!

aeighty — Thu, 01 Feb 2007 12:26:02 -0800

Why are my ears itchy all the time? :( I've talked to my family doc and a hearing specialist but they haven't found anything besides a bit of scarring that I've caused through the overuse of q-tips. I don't have excessive amounts of earwax or anything. I take frequent showers. This problem wouldn't bother me that much (mainly because scratching the inside of the ear canal is quite pleasurable) but for the fact that I'm slowly but surely losing my hearing. It's nothing major (and maybe simply age related (but I'm in my mid 20s!)). I've noticed though that I've been saying "pardon" and "I couldn't quite hear you" a lot lately.

Help me fix my itchy ears mefi, I don't want to go deaf by the time I'm 30!

Hygiene in the Middle Ages

victorashul — Wed, 24 Jan 2007 19:22:51 -0800

Hygiene in the Middle Ages to 19th century Any books, articles on this subject. Emphasis on hygiene in Europe. I've found a MetaFilter article here. Something along those lines but more comprehensive.

Do i really need to wear flip flops?

jclovebrew — Fri, 27 Oct 2006 10:57:33 -0800

Will anything bad really happen if I don't wear flip flops in the gym shower? I'm pretty new to the whole going-to-the-gym thing. My coworkers think it would be insane to use the gym showers barefoot. Besides maybe some psychological skeevyness, is there any real danger? Also, FWIW, it's a relatively new, very clean looking gym.

Diaper Disposal

Frasermoo — Thu, 19 Oct 2006 16:01:16 -0800

Should I get a diaper pail? If so, do you have a recommendation? I also read that an inexpensive solution is to buy a load of zip-loc bags and put each diaper in one... holds in smell and is quite clean and you don't need a specific diaper pail. Your opinions please.

Kitty Likes To Stink...They Think

weirdoactor — Thu, 12 Oct 2006 15:48:51 -0800

Why does my cube-mate's cat have hygiene issues? My cube-mate asked me about this, as I am the long-time human slave of four cats, and he and his wife have recently adopted a kitty. They have no other pets, and spend a lot of quality time with her. I had no answer for him, so I call on you, hive mind!

Lately, they’ve noticed that she smells like cat pee. A lot. Obviously, this makes it hard to cuddle and play with her.

They clean the litter box once a day, and she’s not dropping waste near the opening, or marking anywhere else in the house (female cats can sometimes mark, right?), and there are no other obvious reasons for her to smell this bad.

Is she possibly just hitting herself with her own pee? Or even marking herself for some reason? Has anyone ever heard of a similar situation? Any help at all would be appreciated.

How do you deal with messy sex?

Anonymous — Mon, 04 Sep 2006 18:04:16 -0800

How do you deal with the messy side of sex? In my limited experience, sex is pretty drippy, as in both me and my post-coital partner's ejaculation. It's lovely fun but not conducive to keeping sheets, mattresses, pillows, carpets, various of other items between me and the bathroom, clean. Is it just me or is running off to the toilet with a handful of Kleenex stuffed between your legs the only solution?

It all comes down to cooties

Anonymous — Sun, 28 May 2006 05:50:34 -0800

Who gets to share food and drinks with your child - from the same cup or spoon? I've upset a member of my extended family by telling her I didn't want her to feed my daughter off her own spoon anymore. It's coming up to winter here, so I'm wary of colds and flus, but I also think it's kinda gross.

I feel there are a bunch of common germs to a household, but outside of that household there are different ones to be a bit more wary of - even if the people from outside the house are family. Am I being irrational by asking people who live outside of our household to use a seperate utensil and seperate food? (like not taking turn-about with spoonsfull of yoghurt with a toddler)

Clean eyelashes?

fenriq — Sat, 01 Apr 2006 11:21:09 -0800

How do clean the base of your eyelashes?

$100 Haircut?

parma — Sun, 12 Feb 2006 19:03:45 -0800

How might I go about finding a top of the line hair salon. I am considering trying to settle into a new haircut - even a $100+ price tag is ok this one time. (I'm in S.E. Michigan.)

Preventing recurrence of MRSA infection in a community space

ottereroticist — Sun, 08 Jan 2006 20:36:16 -0800

HygeineFilter: How to prevent the recurrence of MRSA infection in a community center? I'm on the board of directors for an organization that runs a community center. We serve a diverse population, including homeless and immuno-suppressed people.

Recently, a worker cut her hand while renovating the kitchen, resulting in an MRSA (methicillin-resistant staphlococcus aureus) infection that took three days in the hospital to clear up.

My question is, what specific steps do we need to take to minimize the risk of a recurrence -- and what do we not need to do?

We are planning to close our facility for a month and clean it from top to bottom (which it needs anyway). My sense is that the first priority is to deep-clean the bathrooms and kitchen and wash bedding and towels, using bleach as a disinfectant.

How thoroughly do we need to clean the "dry" areas of the house (not bathrooms or kitchen) -- do those need the bleach treatment too? Should we steam-clean the furniture and rugs? Or throw everything out and start over, as some in the community are suggesting?

Suggestions and information resources greatly welcome. Thanks for your help!

when to change a toothbrush?

brandz — Thu, 24 Nov 2005 20:19:13 -0800

how often should i change my toothbrush?