“Most people don’t periodically sanitize their door handles.

Its one of the most common places where bacteria lives.”

Recently, Reddit useru/HEADAs66asked,“What is the most common hygiene mistake that people make?”

Screenshot from "Saltburn"

“Fellow pierced folks, CLEAN YOUR GODDAMN PIERCINGS.

This INCLUDES your jewelry!

God, the amount of stinky cheese piercings I’ve smelled walking past someone is far too high.

Screen shot from "Mean Girls"

Even after the initial healing, you gotta still CLEAN them regularly.

At the bare minimum, rinse and rub them in the shower.

I take out my actual jewelry every couple weeks and give it a good clean.”

A person loading a dishwasher

u/nionvox

2. u/Megdogg00

3.

“Not enough people clean their belly button.”

u/feel_da_hern

4.

Someone laying on a bed with their shoes on

The first time I cleaned the filter on our several-year-old dishwasher after learning this, it was horrific.

I was retching the entire time I was cleaning it.

It made me want to re-wash every single dish in the house."

Screenshot from "Euphoria"

u/mxt920

5.

“A mistake lots of people make is assuming hand sanitizer is as effective as hand washing.

Some things have to be physically removed with soap and water.”

Screenshot from an Ariana Grande music video

u/yourpaljax

6.

“Using too much detergent or fabric softener is a mistake.

It will actually trap dirt and smells into the fibers if it doesn’t rinse clean.”

Closeup of someone showering

u/wwaxwork

7.

“Wearing shoes all around the house is a common one.

A lot of shoes track in fecal matter from the street.”

u/Sad-Thought6021

8.

“Most people don’t periodically sanitize their door handles.

Its one of the most common places where bacteria lives.”

u/tays-world

9.

“People tend not to change their toothbrushes often enough.”

u/abdulbasitkhanani

10.

“Many people over-exfoliate the skin.

With the rise of skincare, I see people exfoliating every day, and it makes me itch.

u/wellyboot97

11.

“Using too much deodorant or not thoroughly cleaning it off actually makes you smell more over time.”

u/thereisnoluck

12.

“A large amount of people do not scrub their butt crack when they shower.”

u/TUEB0R

13.

“Many people don’t brush the lingual surface of the teeth.

It is the side closest to your tongue.

As a dental hygienist, I see tartar buildup there the most.

Also, a lot of people don’t angle their toothbrush toward their gums when they brush them.”

u/sytti

14.

“Not washing your sheets and pillowcases regularly is a mistake.

They harbor bacteria and body oils, and can really aggravate your skin and cause breakouts.”

u/baby_armadillo

15.

“Its better to wash your body after washing your hair!

u/AnnaTheIntellect

16.

“Don’t use mouthwash that contains alcohol too often.

It can dry out your mouth and kills the good bacteria as well as the bad.”

u/Royal_Insect8967

Submissions have been edited for length and/or clarity.