Cleanliness

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HealthWiki > Where Women Have No Doctor > Chapter 10: Staying Healthy > Cleanliness

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In this chapter:

 

In this chapter:

Many illnesses are spread by germs that pass from one person to another. Here are some of the most common ways that germs are spread:

by touching an infected person.	through the air. For example, when someone coughs, the small drops of spit (saliva) can spread germs to other people.
through clothes, cloths, or bed covers.	through insect or animal bites.	by eating contaminated food.

Different illnesses are spread in different ways. For example, tuberculosis (TB) spreads through the air. Scabies and human papillomavirus (HPV) spread through skin-to-skin contact with an infected person.

Personal, home, and community cleanliness (sanitation) prevent illnesess because they stop the spread of germs. For example:

What could have prevented the family’s illness?

• If there was a latrine or a toilet the family could use.
• If animals were kept away from where the family lives and children play.
• If they did not have to use clothes to wipe, clean, or grab hot objects.
• If there was clean water for washing hands, especially before touching other people or preparing food.

Cleanliness in the community (sanitation)

Clean drinking water can help prevent diarrhea and parasites.

Many common health problems are best solved when the community works together to improve sanitation. This benefits everyone because it prevents the spread of illness. For example:

Work together to develop a source of clean water for drinking and cooking. The source should be close enough to the community for people to get water easily.

To keep drinking and cooking water clean:

• do not let animals go near the water source. If necessary, build a fence to keep them out.
• do not bathe and do not wash clothes, cooking pots, or eating utensils near the water source.
• do not pass stool or throw garbage (rubbish) near the water source.

Use composted food waste to fertilize your crops

Get rid of garbage in a safe way. If possible, bury, compost, or burn garbage. If you bury it, make sure the pit is deep enough to keep animals and bugs away. If the garbage is above ground, fence off the dump and cover the garbage with dirt to reduce flies. Also, find safe ways to get rid of dangerous and toxic materials. For example, do not burn plastic, because the fumes can be toxic, especially to children, and old and sick people. For more information, see A Community Guide to Environmental Health.

After using the latrine, throw a little lime, dirt, or ash in the hole to reduce the smell and keep flies away.

Drain standing water in washing areas, puddles, tires, and open containers. Malaria and dengue fever are spread by mosquitos, which breed in water that is not flowing. If possible, use mosquito nets when sleeping.

Organize your community to build latrines (see below for how to build a latrine).

How to build a latrine

1. Dig a pit about ½ meter wide, 1½ meters long, and 3 meters deep.
2. Cover the pit, leaving a hole about 20 by 30 centimeters.
3. Build a shelter and roof out of local building materials.

To be safe, a latrine should be at least 20 meters from all houses, wells, springs, rivers, or streams. If it must be anywhere near a place people go for water, be sure to put the latrine downstream.

river

spring

well

house

Cleanliness in the home

Sunlight kills many germs that cause illness.

Since family members are in close contact with each other, it is very easy to spread illness to the whole family when someone gets sick. Here are some ways to help prevent illness in your home:

• Wash cooking and eating pots and utensils with soap (or clean ash) and clean water after using them. If possible, let them dry in the sun.
• Clean the living space often. Sweep and wash the floors, walls, and areas beneath furniture. Fill in cracks and holes in the floor or walls where roaches, bedbugs, and scorpions can hide.
• Hang or spread bedding in the sun to kill parasites and bugs.

If children or animals pass stool near the house, clean it up at once.

• Do not spit on the floor. When you cough or sneeze, cover your mouth with your arm, or with a cloth or handkerchief. Then, if possible, wash your hands.
• Get rid of body wastes in a safe way. Teach children to use a latrine or to bury their stools, or to go at least 20 meters from the house or from where people get drinking water

Personal cleanliness

More Information

caring for yourself during your period

It is best to wash your body with soap and water every day if possible, especially your hands and genitals.

• Wash your hands before eating or preparing food, after passing urine or stool, and before and after caring for a baby or someone who is sick.
• Do not douche. The vagina cleans and protects itself by making a small amount of wetness or discharge. Douching washes away this protection and makes you more likely to get a vaginal infection.
• Pass urine after having sex. This helps prevent infections of the urine system (but will not prevent pregnancy).
• Wipe carefully after passing stool. Always wipe from front to back. Wiping forward can spread germs and worms into the urinary opening and vagina.

You can make a toothbrush to keep your teeth clean.

Protect your teeth

Taking good care of the teeth is important because:

• everyone needs strong, healthy teeth to chew food so it can digest well.
• good tooth care can prevent painful cavities (holes in the teeth caused by decay) and sore gums.
• decayed or rotten teeth caused by lack of good care can lead to serious infections that may affect other parts of the body.
• people who do not care for their teeth are more likely to lose them when they get old.

Carefully clean your teeth twice a day. This removes the germs that cause decay and tooth loss. Clean the surface of all front and back teeth, then clean between the teeth and under the gums. Use a soft brush, tooth stick, or finger wrapped with a piece of rough cloth. Toothpaste is good but not necessary. Salt, baking soda, or even plain, clean water will also work.

Clean Water

Store water in covered jars and keep your living space clean.

Drinking water should be taken from the cleanest possible source. If the water is cloudy, let it settle and pour off the clear water. Then, before drinking it, kill the harmful germs as described below. This is called purification.

Store the purified water in clean, covered containers. If the container has been used for storing cooking oil, wash it well with soap and hot water before storing clean water in it. Wash water containers with soap and clean water at least once a week. Never store water in containers that have been used for chemicals, pesticides, or fuels.

Food Safety

Washing your hands prevents the spread of disease. Keep a special clean towel or rag for drying your hands. Wash it often and dry it in the sun.

Or dry your hands in the air by shaking the water off.

Many common diseases of the intestines are spread through food. People who harvest, handle, or prepare food can pass germs from their hands into the food. When food gets old or is not stored or cooked properly, germs and mold in the air can grow in the food and make it spoil (go bad).

To prevent the spread of germs in food:

• wash your hands with soap and water before preparing food, eating, and feeding your family.
• wash or peel all fruits and vegetables that are eaten raw.
• do not let raw meat, poultry, or fish touch other food that is eaten raw. Always wash your hands, knife, and cutting board after cutting these meats.
• avoid coughing, spitting, and chewing things like gum or betel near food so your saliva does not get in the food.
• do not allow animals to lick dishes or utensils. If possible, keep animals out of the kitchen.
• throw food out when it spoils.

Some of the most common signs of spoiled foods are:

• bad smell
• bad taste or a change in taste
• changed color (for example, if raw meat changes from red to brown)
• many bubbles on the top (for example, on the top of old stew or soup)
• slime on the surface of meat or cooked foods

Cooked food

Some communities have traditional ways to prepare raw meat or fish that make them safe to eat.

Cooking food kills germs. It is safest to eat all meats, fish, and poultry well cooked. When the food begins to cool, the germs quickly start to grow again. If the food is not eaten within 2 hours after being cooked, reheat until liquids boil and solids (like rice) are steaming. Then eat the food right away.

Food storage

It is safest to eat food right after cooking it, but this is not always possible. When you store food, keep it covered to protect it from insects and dust, and keep it cool to prevent bacteria and mold from growing. The methods described below cool food using evaporation (turning water into vapor). You can put food in shallow pans for more complete cooling.

Cover the entire crate when you make a cupboard cooler. The front is open here just so you can see inside.

Pottery cooler. For this method, you will need one big pot and one small pot. Use a large pot and lid that have not been glazed (coated with a baked-on covering). This will allow water to evaporate through this pot. Use a small pot that has been glazed on the inside. This will prevent water from seeping into the stored foods. Place food inside the small pot. Then put the small pot inside the big one, and fill the space between with water.

Women in the community can teach others about which local foods keep well and good ways to store them.

Cupboard cooler. Put a wooden crate or box on its side, and then set it on bricks or stones to raise it off the floor. Put a container of water on top of the crate and drape sackcloth or other coarse cloth over the bowl and around the crate. The cloth should not quite reach the floor. Dip the cloth in the water, so that the wetness spreads throughout the cloth. Place the food inside the crate. As the water in the cloth evaporates, it will cool the food. This method works best if you can keep the cloth wet all the time.

This page was updated:22 Jan 2024