Hygiene: Practical Tips for Health, Home and Medicine

Hygiene keeps you well and helps medicines work. Good habits cut infection risk, help wounds heal, and stop medicines from losing potency. These are simple, tested steps you can use at home, when you travel, or when ordering drugs online.

Handling medicines safely

Wash your hands before and after touching pills, creams or inhalers. Use soap and water for 20 seconds or a gel with at least 60% alcohol if you can't. Open blister packs carefully—moisture and dirt shorten shelf life. Keep prescription bottles capped and store them in a cool, dry place away from sunlight. For liquid medicines, follow refrigeration instructions exactly. If a tablet looks discolored or a solution is cloudy, don't use it; contact the pharmacy.

If you order meds by mail, inspect the package right away. Check expiry dates, ensure tamper seals are intact, and confirm the label matches your prescription. Reputable online pharmacies will include a packing slip and contact info. If anything looks off—wrong drug, damaged packaging, or no return address—don't take it. Call the pharmacy or your prescriber before using it.

Wound care and topical products

Clean minor cuts with running water and mild soap. Pat dry with a clean towel or sterile gauze. Apply a thin layer of prescribed ointment if recommended and cover with a sterile bandage. Change dressings with clean hands and fresh supplies every day or when wet. Avoid using strong topical steroids like fluocinolone on burns unless a doctor prescribes them—potent steroids can delay healing and increase infection risk.

For skin creams, use a clean spatula or cotton swab rather than fingers when possible. Dipping fingers into jars transfers bacteria back into the product. This is important for people with eczema, diabetes, or weakened immunity.

Short shoe and foot hygiene prevents fungal infections. Keep nails trimmed, dry between toes after bathing, and swap damp socks for dry ones. For inhaler hygiene, wipe the mouthpiece weekly and follow the manufacturer's cleaning steps—dirty inhalers deliver less medicine.

At home, keep common surfaces tidy. High-touch spots like doorknobs, phones, and countertops benefit from weekly cleaning with household disinfectant when someone is ill. Laundry for sick members can be washed normally but handle soiled items with gloves if fluids are present.

Simple habits help a lot: cover coughs, skip sharing razors or toothbrushes, and replace toothbrushes after illness. Pack small hand sanitizer and single-use tissues when you travel. If you have chronic conditions or take blood thinners, ask your clinician for tailored hygiene steps—wound care and infection signs may need extra attention.

When caring for babies or elderly people, extra hygiene matters: sanitize feeding bottles, wash hands before diaper changes, keep immunization records handy. If someone has a chronic cough, mask use and separate towels can reduce spread at home. Ask your pharmacist for product-specific cleaning tips.

Hygiene isn't about being perfect. It's about practical moves that lower risk and make medicines work better. Start with one change—wash hands more, check medication storage—and build from there.