Clean Yourself Up

Many people feel as if they aren’t clean enough. Fortunately, with a little effort, anyone can become a neat person. First, practice good hygiene by showering daily, brushing your teeth, and taking care of your hair and skin. To look neat, groom your nails, wear clean clothing, and comb your hair every day. Finally, if you feel like your home is always messy, you don’t have to resign yourself to hours of scrubbing. Instead, spend a few minutes cleaning every day to make the job more manageable.

Steps

Practicing Good Hygiene

  1. Bathe yourself daily. Regular bathing eliminates body odors and kills the bacteria that causes bad smells.[1] Use a mild soap and a loofa or washcloth to clean your body while showering. Look for soaps that advertise as “gentle,” “fragrance-free,” and all-natural. These soaps will be less likely to irritate your skin.
    • If your soap causes any skin irritation, stop using the soap and call your doctor.
    • If you’re concerned about body odors, apply deodorant after showering. Deodorant can be purchased at most pharmacies and grocery stores.
  2. Brush your teeth at least twice a day. Use a clean toothbrush and fluoride toothpaste to brush your teeth.[2] Additionally, floss your teeth once a day. Flossing fights bad breath and prevents gum diseases such as periodontitis.
    • If you experience any tooth pain at any point, talk to your dentist.
  3. Take care of your hair. If you sweat a lot, have very oily hair, or have very short hair, wash your hair every day with a gentle shampoo. Otherwise, only wash your hair once or twice a week. This will help your hair stay soft and healthy.[3] Additionally, get your hair trimmed regularly to remove any split ends and maintain a neat appearance.
    • If you have untreated hair, get a trim at least once every twelve weeks. Damaged hair needs to be trimmed every four to six weeks.[4]
    • If you have short hair, trim it as often as needed to maintain your style.
    • If you have a beard, keep it cleaned and combed.
  4. Take care of your skin. Wash your skin once or twice a day with a gentle cleanser. If you have acne problems, use a cleanser with salicylic acid in it. Salicylic acid clears away the dead skin cells that clog your pores and create acne.[5] Otherwise, choose a gentle, fragrance-free cleanser to avoid irritating your skin.
    • Always use a facial moisturizer after washing your face to hydrate your skin. If you have oily skin, choose an oil-free moisturizer or a moisturizer with salicylic acid in it.
    • Wear sunscreen whenever you go outside. Sunscreen will protect your skin from harmful UV rays that cause wrinkles, skin cancer, and skin spots.[6]

Presenting Yourself Well

  1. Groom your nails. If you don’t have clean nails, you won’t look clean. First, use a nail cutter to trim your nails. Next, use a nail file to soften any sharp edges. If there’s dirt underneath your nails, wash your nails with a soft brush, soap, and water. Alternatively, use a toothpick to scrape any debris out from under your nail.
    • Scrub away stains by mixing a small amount of baking soda with water to create a paste. Rub the paste on your nails with an old toothbrush and rinse it off.
    • Resist the urge to bite your fingernails. This can cause fungal infections in your nail beds.[7]
  2. Make an effort to style your hair. If you like looking polished, spend time combing and arranging your hair every morning. This will help you feel and look clean. If you don’t want to spend time on your hair, get a low-maintenance haircut. While you’re at the salon or barbershop, tell your stylist that you’re interested in a low-maintenance hairstyle.[8] For example:
    • Ask your barber for a short, messy haircut that will look good without any special styling.
    • If you want a longer haircut from a salon, ask for a style that will compliment your hair’s natural texture. All you will have to do is brush it.
  3. Wear clean, neat clothing. Make sure you wash your clothes regularly so that you always smell clean. Shirts, underwear, socks, and swimsuits should be washed after every wear. Jeans, pants, and bras can be worn two to three times before washing. However, if you sweat a lot in your clothing, wash it before wearing it again. For example, any clothes worn while you exercise should be washed after the first wear.[9]
    • Hang up or fold dry laundry immediately to prevent wrinkling.
    • Look on the tag of your clothing for washing and drying instructions.

Keeping Your Home Clean

  1. Make your bed when you wake up. As soon as you get out of bed, spend a few minutes re-tucking your sheets, straightening your comforter, and rearranging your pillows. Your room will look much cleaner once the bed is made.[10]
    • Wash your sheets and pillowcases every two weeks to prevent bad odors and kill any dust mites.[9]
  2. Purge your closet. If you’re feeling overwhelmed by a mountain of laundry, reduce the pile by donating or throwing away any unused clothing. Go through each item in your closet and ask yourself how often you wear it. If you don’t wear it very often, consider getting rid of it. Other criteria can include:
    • Does the item of clothing fit?
    • Have you worn the clothing in the past twelve months?
    • Is it damaged or worn? If so, is it worth repairing?
    • If you saw this item while you were shopping, would you buy it?[11]
  3. Tidy periodically. If you clean several times throughout the day, your home will seem effortlessly clean. For example, every time you leave a room, leave it better than you found it.[12] This can include straightening a bookshelf, returning a cup to the kitchen, or quickly dusting your TV stand.
    • Spend five minutes cleaning every morning to help keep your home clean.
    • Wash each dish as you dirty them. This will help you avoid having a mountain of dirty dishes.
    • Quickly tidy the kitchen before you go to bed. When you wake up, your kitchen will be refreshingly clean.[13]
  4. Create a deep-cleaning schedule. Larger cleaning jobs, such as vacuuming and scrubbing your bath tub, should be done once a week. Some people choose to spend one day a week deep-cleaning their home to get everything done at once. Other people prefer to create a cleaning schedule and assign one large job per day to spread out the work. For example:
    • Monday: Vacuum all carpets.
    • Tuesday: Deep clean the bathroom.
    • Wednesday: Clean any wooden or tile floors.
    • Thursday: Clean out your refrigerator.
    • Friday: Organize your desk or work area.
    • Saturday: Wash all your sheets and towels.
    • Sunday: Dust any bookshelves and other flat surfaces.[14]

Tips

  • If you feel overwhelmed by the idea of cleaning up your act, aim to improve one aspect of your life per week. This will help you slowly change for the better without becoming overwhelmed and giving up.
  • If you can’t muster the energy to improve yourself or your surroundings, you may suffer from depression. Talk to your doctor or call your local depression helpline for advice.

Sources and Citations

  1. ↑ http://kidshealth.org/en/teens/hygiene-basics.html#
  2. ↑ http://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/adult-health/expert-answers/brushing-your-teeth/faq-20058193
  3. ↑ http://www.webmd.com/beauty/features/how-often-wash-hair#1
  4. ↑ http://www.allure.com/gallery/when-to-get-a-haircut
  5. ↑ http://www.webmd.com/beauty/advances-skin-care-9/women-face-skin-care?page=2
  6. ↑ http://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/adult-health/in-depth/skin-care/art-20048237
  7. ↑ http://www.pamf.org/teen/health/skin/nails.html
  8. ↑ http://www.redbookmag.com/fashion/advice/g1297/how-to-look-polished/?slide=2
  9. ↑ 9.0 9.1 http://www.cleaninginstitute.org/clean_living/do_i_need_to_wash_this.aspx
  10. ↑ http://www.houzz.com/ideabooks/58114018/list/the-pros-and-cons-of-making-your-bed-every-day
  11. ↑ http://theeverygirl.com/7-questions-to-ask-when-cleaning-out-your-closet
  12. ↑ http://www.thehappiesthome.com/10-ways-i-keep-my-house-neat-without-spending-all-day-cleaning/
  13. ↑ http://theinspiredroom.net/2009/08/08/four-daily-routines-how-i-keep-my-house-clean-enough/
  14. ↑ http://www.apartmenttherapy.com/the-house-that-cleans-itself-the-power-of-a-weekly-cleaning-schedule-198949
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