5 Hygiene Myths That You Shouldn’t Believe

Do you really need to take a shower every day? Use scalding hot water to wash your hands? According to experts, here’s what the dirt is.

Mila Kunis and Ashton Kutcher, actors, recently made a stir on social media by revealing that bathing isn’t part of their daily routine. The celebrity couple revealed that they only bathe when absolutely necessary during an appearance on Monica Padman’s podcast Armchair Expert.

“Here’s the deal — if you can see dirt on ’em then clean ’em.” Kutcher stated that if they don’t see the dirt on their children, it is not worth the effort. Kunis says that she doesn’t wash her entire body with soap daily. Her husband, however, joked that he only washes his armpits and crotch daily.

Shepard, who is also an actor, agreed to the couple. He said that soap should not be used to remove all natural oils from the skin. “It’s insane.” He and Kristen Bell, his wife, stated that bath time is not a priority for their children. They also said that it can sometimes be an afterthought. Bell stated on the show, “Yeah we forget.”

Celebrity couples don’t have to do this, according to Darren P. Mareiniss MD, assistant professor of emergency medicine at Sidney Kimmel Medical College, Thomas Jefferson University in Philadelphia. He explains that daily showers can dry out your skin and that antibacterial soap can harm normal skin flora.

Dr. Mareiniss notes that daily showers are not considered a danger to your health or cause for concern.

Sometimes skipping showers is a bad idea. Richard Antaya MD, director of pediatric dermatology at Yale Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut says that taking a daily bath can help people with certain skin conditions, like atopic dermatitis. Dermatology Research and Practice published a review in November 2020 that found a daily shower is safe for those with eczema. However, the optimal frequency for this group of people is not known.

Mareiniss warns that even people who don’t have eczema, not showering enough can lead to body odor, fungal and bacterial infections. “But, you don’t have to shower every day unless your skin is particularly dry or grimy.” Generally, it is sufficient to shower several times per week to maintain proper hygiene.

It’s not a hygiene myth that all people should shower every day. To clear the air, we asked Dr. Antaya Mareiniss and Mareiniss for their opinions on similar myths.

Hygiene Myth 1 – You need to use Q-tips to clean your ears

Q-tips were first invented by Leo Gerstenzang in 1923 when he saw his wife add cotton to her toothpicks to clean their baby’s ears. However, the company has stopped officially recommending them for hygiene purposes.

Douglas M. Hildrew MD, an otologist who is also the medical director for the Yale Medicine Hearing and Balance Program, says that it is dangerous and false to assume that you have to put them in your ears in order to clean them.

The ear canal was designed to be self-cleaning. He explains that while the ear constantly makes wax and sheds skin cells, it also has a natural migration pattern which pushes any excess out of the canal.

Dr. Hildrew states that ear wax also has antimicrobial properties, which kill bacteria before they can cause an infection. It also acts as a moisturizer for your ear canal.

Q-tips are not only inadvisable for cleaning your ears, but they can also cause serious damage. The combination of thin skin on top of hard bones makes it very vulnerable to being ripped if you poke at it with a Qtip, paperclip or hairpin. Hildrew says that small tears in the skin could lead to bleeding or painful infections.

Hygiene Myth 2 – Douching Will Clean Your Vagina

Your vagina cleans itself, just like your ears. Impressive, right?

However, this doesn’t mean that people haven’t tried their best to help, such as douching. Douching dates back as far as the 19th century. It’s been used for everything, from birth control (Lysol was touted as the active ingredient that kills sperm in the 1930s according to Smithsonian Magazine) to preventing infections. These claims are unsupported by any evidence.

Mareiniss says that douching can be harmful to the vaginal bacteria (normal bacteria) and alters the natural pH of the vagina. Mareiniss also points out that most doctors don’t recommend it. Douching can increase the risk for bacterial vaginosis, a vaginal infection, pelvic inflammatory disease and ectopic pregnancies. The Office on Women’s Health also states that unneeded cleaning can increase your chances of developing sexually transmitted infections (STIs). Mareiniss states that douching in pregnancy can lead to preterm labor.

Hygiene Myth #3: Always wash your hands with hot water

The World Health Organization has confirmed that boiling water kills harmful bacteria. Mareiniss states that there is no scientific evidence to support the claim that hot water r is sufficient to clean your hands. Mareiniss maintains that hot water is equally effective as warm.

The most important thing is to soap your hands before they get wet. He says, “Rub the soap in your hands and rinse with water to remove any soap residue.” Wash for at least 20 seconds.

Hygiene Myth #4: The 5-Second Rule Ensures Food is Safe to Eat

According to Science Friday, the five-second rule dates back as far as the 1200s. Genghis Khan implemented the Khan rule at his banquets. It stated that “if food falls on the floor, it could remain there as long Khan permitted.”

It evolved into the “five second rule”, which many of us remember hearing about as children. Thomas Murray, MD and PhD, a Yale Medicine associate professor of pediatrics and pediatric infectious disease specialist, says that even if food is dropped on the ground for a second, it can be dangerous to eat it. He explains that bacteria can attach to food once it touches the ground. It is possible for bacteria to attach to food if it remains there for a longer time. However, one cannot assume that food will be picked up within five seconds. This is especially true if the surface is not regularly cleaned.