FLOSSING

How many know about flossing let alone do it? It is not enough to brush your teeth and use mouthwash. You can brush and still have food debris stuck between your teeth and plague build up too. This is where flossing comes in.
Floss is a theadlike material used to remove food debris between the teeth and prevent and remove plague when used appropriately. Floss is more efficient than toothpick. It comes as a thread roll or attached to a plastic made like toothpick.
Flossing after eating consistently will prevent food debris decaying in our mouth which will cause cavities eventually even though we brush our teeth regularly and use mouthwash also. Our toothbrush will not penetrate the crevices of our teeth and as such floss is very essential.
If using the theadlike floss you'll need both hands to direct the floss in between each tooth to clean and remove food debris but the floss attached to the toothpick like plastic needs just one hand. It is not expensive, go get it and start using it ASAP.

ANOTHER LOOK AT PERSONAL HYGIENE PART 1

I HAVE A PHOBIA FOR FILTH. OVER THE YEARS I HAVE BECOME OVERLY CONSCIOUS OF CLEANLINESS THAT I CAN NOT DO OTHERWISE AND I AM HAPPY TO BE THE WAY I AM. FAMILY AND CLOSE FRIENDS SAY I HAVE 'OBSESSIVE COMPULSIVE DISORDER', I DON'T MIND BECAUSE I'D RATHER BE CLEAN THAN UNKEMPT.
WHAT IS DIFFICULT IN HAVING YOUR BATH AND BRUSHING YOUR TEETH AT LEAST TWICE A DAY? WHY DO WE REPEAT CLOTHES THAT WE HAVE PREVIOUSLY WORN EVEN WHEN THEY ARE VISIBLY DIRTY. COLLARS, CUFFS AND UNDER ARM ARE STAINED BUT WE ARE UNMOVED. THESE THINGS OUGHT NOT TO BE SO. BED SHEETS, TOWELS,BOXERS, BRIEFS, PANTIES ARE NOT EXEMPT FROM MY SCRUTINY.
DO NOT REPEAT CLOTHES, THAT IS TO SAY THAT YOU'VE ALREADY WORN THEM AND THEY OUGHT TO BE LAUNDERED EVEN WHEN THEY ARE NOT VISIBLY DIRTY. SWEAT AND FRICTION IS ENOUGH REASON TO PUT THEM ASIDE FOR LAUNDRY.
THIS IS MY TAKE ABOUT THESE THINGS.......

WASH AND WEAR

I heard a story, a true life story of a woman who bought a new bra from a shop and a high end shop for that matter. She wore it without washing it and shortly afterwards she started itching on her breasts. She applied some cream on it but it persisted. She went to the doctor and she was prescribed some drugs but it persisted even when by this time there were holes in her breast. An examination was carried out and the result was startling. A bug attached to the bra she bought was responsible for her plight.
I shared this story to sensitize us on the importance of washing cloths before wearing them (new cloths). Our body could react to the chemicals used in making them or harmful organisms that they can be exposed to during storage. More so people try on these clothes severally before they are finally sold and you do not know how hygienic they were.
As they say, 'prevention is better than cure'.
I have lived like this for about two decades now, you can start today.

RATS AND COCKROACHES

These two creatures are not welcome in my house and should not be welcome in yours either. Both thrive in filthy environments and carry their fair share of diseases. Today i will not go into the diseases they carry or can infect us with but how to keep them at bay.
Firstly, you cannot afford to live in an untidy environment, that is both within and without. Your living space and your surroundings. Wherever you live, don't stack up things in clusters that will give them where to hide. Books and papers stored away should be kept in metal boxes shut tight without crevices.
Pour some quantity of insecticide in the WC bowl and flush weekly, this will kill cockroaches in the chambers. Fumigate your house and surroundings monthly or every two months. This will make your home and environs uncomfortable for them.
Do your dishes immediately after eating, avoid stacking up dirty dishes in the kitchen sink as this encourages cockroaches.
Empty your waste bin daily especially from the kitchen and toilet as these waste attract them.
Learn to keep your doors shut especially at night if you do not have a door net, same goes for windows.
These are not exhaustive but if you do these things, you will not share your abode with these  RATS AND COCKROACHES.

ONIONS

ONIONS:
PLEASE READ TO THE END
>>>IMPORTANT

In 1919 when the flu killed 40 million people there was this Doctor that visited the many farmers to see if he could help them combat the flu..
Many of the farmers and their family had contracted it and many died.

The doctor came upon this one farmer and to his surprise, everyone was very healthy. When the doctor asked what the farmer was doing that was different, the wife replied that she had placed an unpeeled onion in a dish in the rooms of the home, (probably only two rooms back then). The doctor couldn't believe it and asked if he could have one of the onions and place it under the microscope. She gave him one and when he did this, he did find the flu virus in the onion. It obviously absorbed the bacteria, therefore, keeping the family healthy.

Now there is a P.S. to this for I sent it to a friend in Oregon who regularly contributes material to me on health issues. She replied with this most interesting experience about onions:

Thanks for the reminder.
I don't know about the farmer's story...but, I do know that I contacted pneumonia, and, needless to say, I was very ill...
I came across an article that said to cut both ends off an onion put it into an empty jar, and place the jar next to the sick patient at night. It said the onion would be black in the morning from the germs.
...sure enough it happened just like that.
...the onion was a mess and I began to feel better.

This is the other note.

Lots of times when we have stomach problems we don't know what to blame. Maybe it's the onions that are to blame. Onions ABSORB BACTERIA is the reason they are so good at preventing us from getting colds and flu and is the very reason we should NOT eat an onion that has been sitting for a time after it has been cut open.

LEFT OVER ONIONS ARE POISONOUS
when food poisoning is reported, the first thing the officials look for is when the 'victim' last ate ONIONS and where those onions came from (in the potato salad?). It's probably the ONIONS, and if not the onions, it's the POTATOES.

Onions are a huge magnet for bacteria, especially uncooked onions. You should never plan to keep a portion of a sliced onion. It's not even safe if you put it in a zip-lock bag and put it in your refrigerator.

It's already contaminated enough just by being cut open and out for a bit, that it can be a danger to you (and doubly watch out for those onions you put in your hotdogs at the baseball park!).
If you take the leftover onion and cook it like crazy you'll probably be okay, but if you slice that leftover onion and put on your sandwich, you're asking for trouble. Both the onions and the moist potato in a potato salad, will attract and grow bacteria faster than any commercial mayonnaise will even begin to break down.

Also, dogs should never eat onions. Their stomachs cannot metabolize onions.

PLEASE REMEMBER IT IS DANGEROUS TO CUT AN ONION AND TRY TO SAVE IT TO COOK WITH THE NEXT DAY, IT BECOMES HIGHLY POISONOUS FOR EVEN A SINGLE NIGHT-AS IT CREATES TOXIC BACTERIA WHICH CAUSES ADVERSE STOMACH INFECTIONS BECAUSE OF EXCESS BILE SECRETIONS AND EVEN FOOD POISONING.

PS I do not know original source of this article, got this from my sisters page and thought it wise to share it.

HAND HYGIENE

A friend of mine asked me a question some years back, she said 'a man applied rat poison with his hands around his house, washed his hands from a tap and then ate some food but later died'. What killed him?
I answered her immediately and rightly too because i was already practicing good hand hygiene at the time. I said ,'the rat poison killed him because though he washed his hands at the tap, he still locked the tap with his washed hands but the tap was not washed after he opened to wash his hands. It still had a residue of the poison from his unwashed hands'.
I shared this story to sensitize us on the importance of hand hygiene, it cannot be over emphasized. Wash your hands with soap as often as necessary, You can use a hand sanitizer too.

BATHING TOWELS AND BEDSHEETS

How long should we use our beddings and towels before washing them? I'm of the opinion that beddings should be changed weekly and towels every three days. I've met people who use beddings until it is visibly dirty and obviously stinking, likewise towels.
I don't subscribe to such that's why i'd rather be conscious of my usage of these things and yet still fix a time frame that works for me. This helps me maintain a high level of hygiene personally and gives me confidence whenever i put up with anyone as i'm sure i'll not be a nuisance in this aspect.
My emphasis is 'consciousness', this makes all the difference for me. I've had this 'consciousness' for well over twenty years and as such i'm 'stuck'. I've modified things over the years but for the better. Think about it.