How often do you clean or disinfect your phone? And what do you usually use to clean it?

hear me out, like barely any pressure and running your toothbrush over your gums. idk lol i feel like brushing my teeth and not touching my gums is weird.

this is more towards manual brushers but i’m curious about how everyone goes about gum care anyway.

So, my two kitchen bins attract fly during summer, and we end up with larva and bad odors.

We change the bags often, but we have 4 cats, and in summer, we dump their food when they don't eat so they don't sick from it. I know it can come from there.

What can I do to stop it ? Something you put in your bins ? A cleaning hack ?

I've been experiencing a rubbery taste n smell in my mouth occasionally. I do have symptom free days . And the symptoms appear out of nowhere during the day. I've been occasionally using a plastic water bottle which I admit has not been washed for months. In addition I've been pouring water into the remaining water in the bottle. I've noticed the use of bottle coinciding with the occurrence of smell. Could the rubbery taste be from this . The bottle or water itself didn't smell while using it. The empty bottle does smell like an unwashed old bottle.

I still feel like I’m figuring out my skin sometimes. I always assumed oily skin was just something you deal with, but lately I’ve been trying to understand what actually helps instead of randomly changing things every few weeks.

For people with oily skin, what does your routine look like? Are there any habits or changes that made a noticeable difference for you? Also curious if your skin changed as you got older because mine definitely doesn’t seem to behave the same way it did years ago.

A guy touching their member at a urinal or outside vs a women touching a toilet, door, stall, everything…
Do any women see this point? Do any women think guys don’t need to wash after they pee? Do they not see the point that a guy peeing is actually clean and washing is just respectful act? Curious eg when teaching sons. I think it is way less important for a guy .

It’s not next to our ass, we don’t wipe, we don’t touch flushers or lids or doors or anything. A modern urinal is remarkably clean. Do you think men need to wash if they pee outside?

I’m super big on hygiene and always wanting to smell fresh, but I feel like standard scents fade after an hour or two. On top of that, my skin is pretty sensitive, so I have to be careful with heavily fragranced products or anything harsh.

What are your go to habits, gentler routines, or layering tricks for long lasting freshness that won't irritate sensitive skin? Would love to hear what works for you!

Im in my 20s and Ive always wondered what most girls actually do. Ive heard some people only use toilet paper, some always rinse with water, and others do both. I feel like everyone grows up with different habits, so now Im curious what is most common. Does one way make you feel cleaner or more comfortable during the day? Im not looking to judge anyone, just wondering what works best for you. Maybe Ill learn a better routine from the replies.

My wife never cleans the toilet or her long hair all over the bathroom, every time I use the toilet, I clean and sanitize it. I use it after her and I got poop stains all over the bowl ! Drives me crazy, I want my own bathroom

I often think about how much I needed support when I went through puberty. I had my first period at 9 years old. My mother knew but she was very uncomfortable with it. She never had any talks with me about it or any part of womanhood. So I got bullied alot. I smelled gross, I often was in the nurses office at school. Teachers knew what I was dealing with but they also seemed very uncomfortable. I wish I had spoken up more, held adults around me accountable but it felt very shameful. I often bled through my pants and had to makeshift my sock into a pad. I often wore sweaters and big jackets to hide the stench of my underarms. My legs were so so hairy and my hair was always greasy and smelly. This affected me so much. Other girls were so clean and kept and pretty and loved. It made me an outcast when I was grouped with other girls. When I finally learned to take care of myself I was already in highschool with a job. Already a young woman and yet still having had so much to learn about self care. Now, I’m married, expecting my 2nd baby, a girl. I think so much about how much I will teach her. My husband often teaches me still, about flossing and mouthwash and skincare. I am so lucky to have him in my life. He makes sure I have my nails done and my body waxed and my hair kept. I am so blessed now.

i’m not sure if this is the right sub for this, but my cleaner comes to my house once a week and she’s a smoker.

i’ve never actually seen her smoking, but whenever she cleans the living room, she closes the hallway door and then i can smell cigarette smoke. she opens the windows, which are huge, so the air circulates and the smell doesn’t really linger.

i don’t mind it that much, but it does bother me a little, especially because she does it secretly.

i don’t smoke cigarettes, but i do smoke weed, and as the owner of the house, i choose to use a carbon filter that doesn’t leave any smell. so i feel weird about her deciding on her own to smoke inside, you know?

i feel like she should ask me whether it’s okay or not. other people who have worked in my house always went outside to smoke on the patio.

Hi! I’m a girl with a very hairy upper lip and it’s super embarrassing. I can’t shave or dermaplane it due to me being prone to acne and breakouts, was there any other way anyone could recommend? I’m open to waxing it, I just don’t know how to do it. TYSM🫶🏼

Was just talking with my brother about this but as I’m getting older I’m noticing more and more some of my hygiene quirks.. wondering if anyone else can relate? I definitely believe I must have a sensory thing with my hands, I am constantly washing them. Anytime I touch something I think is dirty I have to wash them. Anytime I get like Cheeto dust or crumbs on them I have to wash them. Same goes with my outside clothes. If I’ve been out during the day sitting in public spaces I do not want to sit on my couch or bed in those same clothes. I also will come inside and wash my feet specifically if I’ve been walking around in sandals. If my feet feel clean I feel better

I wouldn’t consider my house to be like a super duper clean space there’s definitely mess and it could be cleaner but I just have some weird habits and I’m not sure where they came from.

I'm going to spare the details, including genders, because I asked a question about hygiene before and people jumped to conclusions and were attacking me for what they assumed was MY poor hygiene. No one gave me any helpful answers and the comments were riddled with rude unhelpful comments. I am not going into details, so please don't assume ANYTHING.

I know youre all going to wonder why I'm dating someone with less than par hygiene, but please don't. My partner is lovely in every way. They do rhe dishes, keep a clean house, even borrowed me their only car for a month when mine broke down. Sexual relationship is good and we have fantastic communication. We never argue, we only discuss and reason topics with each other without raising our voices. I am very happy in this relationship other than the hygiene.

I have hinted many times about hygiene areas that I would like to see improvement on, and even modeled these behaviours to my partner, but often they don't continue unless I constantly remind. I don't like feeling like I'm parenting an adult.

My partner is reasonable but easily ashamed. Is there a nice way to bring this up without hurting feelings too much? Any terms or sentences I should avoid? Any help here is greatly appreciated, thanks.

I live in a fairly small space and try to be deliberate about how often I run laundry. I live alone, so running a half-empty washer every couple of days just to wash one or two bath towels feels like a waste of water and energy.

Because of that, my usual routine is to use a bath towel for about four or five days before tossing it in the hamper. I hang it up on a wide wooden towel rack in a well-ventilated room immediately after drying off, so it dries completely within an hour or two without holding onto any dampness.

A family member stayed over at my place recently, and during their visit, they noticed my towel routine and were pretty surprised by it. They told me they grab a fresh towel every two days max, and some people in their household even use a new towel every single shower. That blew my mind a bit. My logic has always been that if you are only using the towel to dry off a completely clean body right after washing yourself, and the towel gets fully dry between uses without smelling musty, it stays clean for several days.

Where do you draw the line between being practical with laundry and keeping things hygienic with towels?

I am curious if four or five days is actually considered gross by most people, or if the "new towel every 1–2 days" crowd is just overdoing it. What is your actual rule for swapping them out?

Tired? Shower. Bored? Shower. Overwhelmed? Shower. Just got home? Shower. Going out? Shower. Relieved? Shower. Stressed? Shower. Waking up? Shower. Going to bed? Shower. Back from work/school? Shower. Sad? Shower. Sick? Shower. Then rest.

I love a shower. Its my favourite thing to do for self care. I hope i get to design my perfect shower one day. One with curved dark stone walls, dim lights, eucalyptus branches, and no one to share it with.

I’m so obsessed with having spotless teeth that I sometimes catch myself flossing three or four times a day, especially right after eating anything remotely fibrous. The problem is, my gums end up raw, inflamed, and bleeding because I’m sawing into them with thread all day long. My dentist told me that over-flossing can actually cause receded gums and invite more irritation than just leaving your mouth alone between morning and night routines. Has anyone else had to intentionally back off on oral care because their habits crossed the line into physical irritation?

I’ve been using a whitening toothpaste for a few months now and I honestly can’t tell if it’s doing anything. Maybe my teeth just aren’t getting any worse but they’re definitely not looking noticeably whiter. I drink coffee every morning so I’m sure that’s not helping.

I’ve been looking at whitening strips, LED kits, gels, and pretty much everything else but it’s hard to tell what’s actually worth buying and what’s just good marketing. For anyone who’s actually gotten good results... what ended up working for you? Was it something you could use at home or did you eventually have to get it done professionally?

I don’t mind spending the money if it’s actually worth it. I just don’t want to keep buying stuff that doesn’t work.

Apparently this is best practice to avoid irritation, which is partly why I only shave my armpits when i'm planning to wear sleeveless tops and do it in a day I'll stay home. But I'm sure some people shave their armpits daily, so how does that work?

Also by the next day there is a bit of stubble so if you follow this rule you'll really never be able to go out with perfectly hairless smooth armpits unless you're okay with stinking or genuinely don't need deodorant.

Ok maybe I'm the weird one. I never considered not washing my bras after every wear until I heard that it's a common practice. I just hate the feeling of getting out of the shower and putting on a piece of clothing that I've already worn without washing it first. I wash (almost) everything -- jeans, bras, everything else -- after each use. The only things I don't necessarily wash after every wear are things that need to be dry cleaned.

Anyone else??

I'm sorry if this doesn't belong here, but I feel like I can trust this community and would like to hear what your habits are in this regard. Cheers!

Edit: Asking mainly because I grew up in Italy where the norm is to use bicarbonate along with water, e.g., letting strawberries soak in water and bicarbonate, then washing them well. I learnt that it's not really useful nor common elsewhere, but it's always weird to me to only use water.

I try to wash when I can, but rinse for sure. What but you?

I could really use some advice because I’m honestly struggling with keeping my first apartment under control.

I moved out about 8 months ago and had the opportunity to move into my grandparents’ old apartment. I renovated part of it, but not all of it. It’s much bigger than I actually need, so there are several rooms I don’t even use or haven’t renovated yet.

One of the biggest problems is that those unused rooms are still full of my grandparents’ belongings. The family members who now own the apartment rent it to me for very little, but understandably they aren’t ready to part with a lot of those things because of the sentimental value. So I can’t really empty those rooms or reorganize them.

That means they’re packed with furniture, boxes, and keepsakes, making them difficult to clean. You can’t just quickly vacuum because you have to move around so much stuff.

On top of that, I’ve started using one of those rooms as a “temporary” storage room for my own things because I honestly don’t know where to put them. Things like my crochet supplies, hobby materials, and other everyday items just don’t fit into the smaller rooms that I actually live in. So now that room is becoming another source of stress instead of helping.

To be fair, my childhood bedroom was always pretty messy too, so I’ve never really built good cleaning habits or routines. I genuinely don’t know how often people are supposed to do certain things. How often should I clean the toilet? The bathtub? Mop the floors? Dust? Vacuum? And what about the rooms I barely use? Should I still air them out regularly? Vacuum them? How often?
When I first moved in, I somehow managed to vacuum every day and mop every two weeks, but I just can’t keep up with that anymore.

It doesn’t help that the apartment is in a very old building (built sometime in the 1700s), so it’s incredibly dusty. I also have these little beetles that seem to come from the building itself. I vacuum them up almost every day, but they keep coming back.

Another thing that makes it feel impossible is that the house itself is huge. My apartment is on the first floor, but there are several more floors above me, and even the shared entrance and hallway seem to get dirty all the time. I feel like there are spiders everywhere, dust constantly builds up again, and because it’s such an old building it never really feels “done.” I don’t even know what’s normal anymore or what I can realistically ignore.
The apartment is just… a lot. Every time I look around, I don’t know where to start, and then I end up doing almost nothing because I feel so overwhelmed.

Has anyone been in a similar situation and maybe has a realistic plan for how to get things under control?

I’m looking for advice on two things:
How would you tackle the current chaos step by step? How do you sort through everything, decide what to keep, donate, or throw away without getting overwhelmed? How would you organize things when storage is limited and some rooms aren’t really available because they’re still full of someone else’s belongings?

Once everything is under control, what does a realistic cleaning routine actually look like for one person with a full-time job?

I’ve tried a few cleaning apps, but they all seem to expect you to wipe down the kitchen every day, vacuum every day, clean the bathroom constantly… and I just can’t keep up with that. Honestly, I don’t even think it’s necessary when you live alone.

Social media also makes me feel like everyone deep-cleans their home every day, and I know that can’t be reality for most people.
I’m not looking for a picture-perfect home. I just want a simple, realistic system that I can actually stick to. Something that tells me what really needs to be done daily, weekly, monthly, or just occasionally, without making cleaning feel like a second full-time job.

I’d also really appreciate any advice on how to get from where I am now to that point. If you have a step-by-step approach for decluttering and organizing before even worrying about cleaning, I’d love to hear it.

My goal isn’t a perfect home. I just want to get to the point where someone could text me saying, “Hey, can I come over?” and I wouldn’t immediately panic because I’d feel like I need to spend a week cleaning before anyone sees my apartment.

If you have a system, checklist, routine, mindset, or any tips that helped you when you were overwhelmed, I’d really appreciate hearing about it.

Title. I do sweat a lot from my armpits and I'm grateful for that since I'm quite active and I regulate my body temp well. The issue is that it isn't quite great in every scenario where I'm NOT active. I'm a student so I don't have extensive experience with all these antiperspirant products so I thought I'd ask. Would appreciate any suggestions. Thanks in advance!

I shower in the evening because I usually workout in the afternoon. Should I only be applying deodorant and body powder after my shower, or should I reapply in the morning? I can’t afford to shower twice a day lol.