The Guardian published an article about the changes in British habits caused by the lockdown. It’s about personal hygiene, namely that people have less time and money to take care of themselves. This saw the benefits for the environment:
· “a daily shower or bath is a shocking luxury when every tenth person in the world still does not have access to clean water”;
· “Citizens of developed countries need to rethink their standards of cleanliness and save such a precious resource as water.”
It is worth noting that 1 kg of beef production consumes a volume of drinking water equal to 105 minutes per shower. You may see a little bit more in our author’s column.
The coronavirus pandemic has affected all areas of human life. During the year of lockdowns and self-isolation, the attitude to personal hygiene has changed, says the Guardian. The newspaper raises the question: is it harmful, and will humanity return to the evidential rules of keeping the body clean.
Is this normal?
Using less water and electricity and a variety of body care products that are usually plastic-wrapped are obvious environmental benefits.
But the “gloomy truth” is that ignoring basic hygiene rules could be a sign of mental health problems caused by the stress and anxiety caused by a pandemic, the newspaper said.
However, many are trying to find the positive in the new realities.
For example, Daniella Wardell, a civil servant from Pencitland near Edinburgh, began washing and blow-drying her hair once a week, although she used to do it every night. She is happy that she saves a lot of time because she started using dry shampoo on the third or fourth day, and her hair “does not get greasy so quickly.”
Wash your hands with cold water no less effectively
The newspaper writes that the citizens of developed countries must rethink their standards of cleanliness and save such a precious resource as water. According to the newspaper, a daily shower or bath is a “shocking luxury when every tenth person in the world still does not have access to clean water.”
“Older readers remember that swimming a maximum of once a week was perfectly acceptable,” the Guardian continues. “In the 1980s, a Sunday night bath was the norm.”
Aside from potential health benefits, using less water and energy and fewer products, with their manufacturing impact and use of plastic – is clearly far better for the environment. But the grimy truth is that for some, a decline in self-care is a sign of poor mental health exacerbated by the stress and anxiety of living through a pandemic. You may read our pieces of advice about the best tourist habits in the wildlife here.
