Questions tagged [hygiene]

The set of practices perceived by a community to be associated with the preservation of health and healthy living.

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Did Louis Pasteur admit on his deathbed "Bernard [the inventor of terrain theory] was right"?

On many 'health' sites defending terrain theory (the theory that the state of the body, not just germs, is the primal factor for disease development) one finds quotes that Louis Pasteur is said to ...
TheAsh's user avatar
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7 votes
1 answer
3k views

Is this study evidence that a fly falling into one's drink should be dipped?

About 9 years ago, a user inquired about a medical claim from an islamic text, a claim that a fly falling into your drink should be dipped in then thrown away (the claimed explanation being that ...
RTG's user avatar
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12 votes
1 answer
2k views

Are 40% of the oceans' bacteria killed by viruses every day?

In the March 9, 2018 column of newspaper columnist Cecil Adams' column The Straight Dope, he speaks about the possible benefits of treating bacterial infections with bacteriophages, viruses that ...
Robert Columbia's user avatar
44 votes
1 answer
11k views

Is vodka (or alcohol solutions with less than 60% concentration) an effective hand sanitizer against Covid-19?

There has been a lot of insistence in some quarters that hand sanitizers need to have > 60% alcohol contents, even against the new coronavirus and so that e.g. vodka (which typically has lower ...
Fizz's user avatar
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5 votes
2 answers
1k views

Does the risk of becoming infected with COVID-19 decrease by washing hands?

Ever since the coronavirus epidemic started, we've been bombarded with messages on how important washing hands is: Respiratory viruses like coronavirus disease (COVID-19) spread when mucus or ...
JonathanReez's user avatar
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-1 votes
1 answer
585 views

Home-made vs. commercial toothpaste?

My friend recently introduced me to home-made toothpaste. Quite a few websites offer recipes, for example: 1, 2, 3. One such recipe is: bicarbonate of soda charcoal coconut oil optional essential ...
spraff's user avatar
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0 votes
0 answers
128 views

Can washing hands too often weaken the immune system? [duplicate]

A coworker told me today that washing your hands too often, especially as a child, can result in a weakened immune system, because you aren't giving your body the chance to build up immunities. He ...
mgarey's user avatar
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3 votes
0 answers
774 views

Do antibacterial coatings in fridges reduce bacterial load?

Some modern fridges have "antibacterial coating" in their list of features. It is claimed this reduces the levels of bacteria growth. Some people go on the further claim this in turn reduces odour ...
vsz's user avatar
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1 vote
1 answer
740 views

Does boiling water with solid silver kill germs?

I was in China recently, and the tour guide mentioned that in some parts of China, the water quality is not good (due to pollution). To get around this problem, some locals used solid silver and ...
Kyoma's user avatar
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2 votes
0 answers
385 views

Was there a serious campaign of women wanting to free bleed their periods in response to a 4chan prank? [closed]

Knowyourmeme tells about this prank and how some women started some protests for being able to free bleed* their periods. It shows some twitter tweets about defending this practice. This other pages ...
mykelex's user avatar
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9 votes
1 answer
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Do handwashs kill 99.9% of bacteria?

My handwash liquid states that it kills 99.9% of bacteria. This usually comes with a disclaimer at the back: "based on laboratory tests". First of all, if I make a handwash, I would certainly like it ...
luchonacho's user avatar
8 votes
1 answer
5k views

Do Ultra-violet LEDs on air hand dryers help to kill bacteria? [closed]

I've noticed newer air hand dryers sometimes have blueish LEDs on the bottom that shine light on your hands when you're drying them. One theory I've heard is that the UV light emitted by these LEDs ...
Greg Hewgill's user avatar
1 vote
1 answer
508 views

Is washing hands with soap necessary when backpacking? [closed]

When someone is backpacking for several days, washing hands with soap might not always be possible, or inconvenient (e.g. because of soap polluting the water; you want to minimize the weight of your ...
DominikS's user avatar
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2 votes
2 answers
1k views

Do pathogens have a negative ORP and beneficial bacteria a positive?

As claimed on page 33 of this MMS book: All pathogens (poison producers) have a negative ORP. All beneficial bacteria have a positive ORP. In other words: The beneficial bacteria are ...
kenorb's user avatar
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14 votes
1 answer
1k views

Do stainless-steel soap bars work to wash hands? [duplicate]

There are stainless steel soap products for washing hands. For example, Blomus Stainless Steel Soap: Simply rub on hands under running water to neutralize odors [...] Negatively-charged stainless ...
Aequitas's user avatar
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10 votes
1 answer
852 views

Are antibacterial soaps better than plain soap and water?

“Consumers may think antibacterial washes are more effective at preventing the spread of germs, but we have no scientific evidence that they are any better than plain soap and water,” said Janet ...
GEdgar's user avatar
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7 votes
1 answer
450 views

Does washing salad remove E-coli?

I don't generally wash salad unless it looks dirty. It's not that I'm unaware of E-coli and pesticides etc, it's that I don't have any conviction that rinsing them with water will significantly remove ...
spraff's user avatar
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9 votes
1 answer
885 views

Does sharing earphones increase the risk of middle ear infections?

A Google search reveals many claims that sharing earphones is unhealthy. Marie Claire magazine provides an example: Kelly Reynolds, Ph.D., associate professor of environmental health at the ...
Git Gud's user avatar
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7 votes
1 answer
6k views

Is brushing your teeth after vomiting dangerous for your teeth?

There's a claim (Day9 / Centre for Clinical Interventions) out there that goes: Don’t brush your teeth immediately after vomiting. While the teeth are covered in stomach acids, the vigorous action ...
npst's user avatar
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11 votes
0 answers
268 views

Are foaming soap dispensers as effective as regular liquid soap dispensers?

I found these foaming soap dispensers on Amazon. The seller says you can use regular liquid soap, diluted: Combine 1 part liquid soap with 5 parts water or Fill with foaming soap solution / Castle ...
user70848's user avatar
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14 votes
1 answer
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Was Ignaz Semmelweis ignored by the medical community when he advocated hand washing?

Daniel Engber writes in Who Will Debunk The Debunkers?: Ignaz Semmelweis, the Hungarian physician who noticed in the 1840s that doctors were themselves the source of childbed fever in his hospital’s ...
Christian's user avatar
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2 votes
0 answers
122 views

Is the first stall of a public restroom the cleanest? [closed]

I have read so during a quick search on google, are there proofs for this theory?
Ido Yoely's user avatar
37 votes
3 answers
12k views

Does washing hands with soap remove more germs than plain water?

As a germophobic, I almost consume a soap bar each day due to the touch of a door handle or other daily used items around the house. This is instigated due to OCD perhaps. This is unhealthy and bad ...
Haider's user avatar
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2 votes
0 answers
542 views

Does injecting Bacillus F improve one's health? [closed]

In a Siberian times report, a Russian scientist Anatoli Brouchkov claims that 3.5 million year old bacteria Bacillus F improves longevity and fertility of fruit flies and mice stimulated the growth ...
asmaier's user avatar
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12 votes
0 answers
232 views

Are objects such as towels, bank notes, carpets, shopping trolleys and light switches dirtier than a toilet seat?

Are objects such as towels, bank notes, carpet, shopping trolleys and light switches listed in blogs such as these and these really dirtier than an average toilet seat since Dr Chuck Gerba, professor ...
pericles316's user avatar
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1 vote
1 answer
342 views

Can microbes live on surfaces with less than 10% humidity?

I've seen it claimed that bacteria or viruses can't live on surfaces when the humidity is less than 10%. But I can't find any credible source for this. The earliest source I can find is Popular ...
AtomicAcorn's user avatar
20 votes
1 answer
4k views

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 ...
Sean Duggan's user avatar
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27 votes
4 answers
2k views

Do hand dryers in public bathrooms spread bacteria?

A hand drier is a warm and humid environment that is surrounded by bacteria from all the bathroom users. It is claimed that this is one of the main causes for spreading bacteria/microbes (NCBI ref) ...
shorea2's user avatar
  • 373
5 votes
1 answer
570 views

Does gaunyle, derived from cow urine, work as a disinfectant?

The Times of India reports: Union minister Maneka Gandhi has asked her ministerial colleagues to opt for a "natural disinfectant'' made from extracts of cow urine instead of the "chemically ...
Soham's user avatar
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3 votes
0 answers
324 views

Does soap help prevent body odor? [closed]

One of my friends told me he stopped using soap years ago and I never smelt anything bad. I wanted to test it and changed my shower routine to just warm water and thoroughly using my hands to scrub my ...
cybrbeast's user avatar
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25 votes
2 answers
20k views

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 ...
Sparkler's user avatar
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28 votes
1 answer
4k views

Is it dangerous to use wooden cutlery and cutting boards with raw meat?

I have heard multiple times that "one should never cut raw meat on a wooden cutting board nor mix it using a wooden spoon." The reason most often cited is that apparently bacteria can survive in the ...
octosquidopus's user avatar
2 votes
1 answer
713 views

No Wipe Poo - Possible? [closed]

I read an article that says scientists have developed a pill that will make this possible, you take one pill with every meal and you'll no longer need to wipe after a bowel movement. This new ...
Drahcir's user avatar
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21 votes
1 answer
1k views

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 ...
Carlo Alterego's user avatar
5 votes
1 answer
375 views

Can daily disposable contact lenses be safely re-used?

It is recommended that "daily" contact lenses are to be disposed of after about 8 hours of use. I understand that daily lenses are made from a different material than, say, monthly ones; they are ...
turnip's user avatar
  • 213
9 votes
1 answer
40k views

Does taking a bath at night have any bad effects on health?

People in Indonesia and Malaysia claim that taking a bath or a shower at night (probably after 8.p.m.) could cause illness. A few mentioned effects are rheumatism and wet lungs. Is there any truth to ...
topher's user avatar
  • 203
40 votes
1 answer
1k views

Is it good (for your health) to shower/bathe daily?

I only shower once every few days, sometimes as little as once a week depending how oily/sticky I'm feeling (I lead a pretty sedentary lifestyle so I don't reach that stage daily). People around me ...
Dois's user avatar
  • 623
17 votes
1 answer
668 views

Does a lack of hand-washing by health-care workers cause 100,000 deaths per year in the USA?

Tweet by PostSecret, with 203 retweets and 85 favorites: 100,000 deaths in the US alone could be avoided each year if health care workers washed their hands more, according to the CDC. Do 100,...
Andrew Grimm's user avatar
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5 votes
1 answer
4k views

Are eggs more likely to contain salmonella in the yolk than the white?

Eggsafety.org states Researchers say that, if present, most bacteria is usually in the yolk. Similar statements are made on other egg-related websites. For example, safeeggs.com states Any ...
Uncle's user avatar
  • 361
12 votes
1 answer
1k views

Do restaurants in China recycle 'gutter oil'?

A video titled This Video Of Chinese Street Food Made From 'Gutter Oil' Is The Most Disgusting Thing You Will See All Day rose to the top of the reddit front page today. It claims some restaurants in ...
tlehman's user avatar
  • 223
14 votes
2 answers
1k views

Is aluminum in pans, soda cans and antiperspirants correlated to Alzheimer's?

I have not only heard the soda can theory since I was a kid, but more recently when researching the topic I have found many websites that claim pans made of aluminum and antiperspirants are correlated ...
Eric Bishard's user avatar
1 vote
0 answers
79 views

Are aluminum antiperspirants unhealthy? [duplicate]

It is regularly stated that aluminium is very bad for the brain, and for your general health. Is this true for antiperspirants? Is Potassium alum more healthy or is this just about marketing ?
edi9999's user avatar
  • 111
25 votes
1 answer
2k views

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 ...
Makis Kar's user avatar
  • 465
9 votes
0 answers
221 views

Do students on paediatrics rotations get sick a lot?

From http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?t=605542: 3rd years get sick on peds alot. Peds or EM during the winter months pretty much maximizes your odds of getting something. Do students ...
user avatar
2 votes
0 answers
11k views

Does Coca-Cola kill germs in the stomach?

My friend recently went on a trek where his guides suggested he drink Coca Cola to kill any germs in his stomach, so that he didn't get sick. It's given me a skeptical itch. Is there any truth to this?...
Dan's user avatar
  • 129
15 votes
2 answers
2k views

Is washing your body too often bad for your skin?

This is not a question about washing your hair. It's about taking a shower too often - i.e. several times a day. I remember I read somewhere that, in this case, your skin lost good bacteria that ...
Alexan's user avatar
  • 463
14 votes
3 answers
8k views

Does alcohol-free "essential oil" mouthwash kill bacteria in your mouth?

Case in point: No other alcohol-free mouthwash has been proven more effective at killing bad breath germs. Contains signature 4 Essential Oils found in LISTERINE® Antiseptic for bad breath ...
Max's user avatar
  • 1,144
10 votes
1 answer
2k views

Can the useful lifespan of razor blades be extended by stroking them over jeans?

This article and this video, amongst others, claim that you can extend the useful lifespan of razor blades for a substantial amount (months), if you regularly stroke them over jeans, immediately after ...
Decent Dabbler's user avatar
21 votes
1 answer
1k views

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 ...
DQdlM's user avatar
  • 557
3 votes
0 answers
869 views

Is cleaning of teeth necessary for healthier gums?

I found the following passage in Man's Search for Meaning by Dr Viktor Frankl I would like to mention a few similar surprises on how much we could endure: we were unable to clean our teeth, and ...
Green Noob's user avatar
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