It’s important to model hygienic practices to your children. Staying clean can help young people maintain their mental and physical health and make it easier for them to make friends. Good hygiene practices also minimize the spread of illnesses and improve self-esteem. Unfortunately, it’s not always easy to encourage kids to keep themselves and their clothing clean. Children often view regular hygienic practices as an unpleasant roadblock between themselves and the fun things they want to do instead.
But if the entire family prioritizes keeping their bodies clean and healthy, it starts to become a natural part of life. With time, your kids will become so used to practicing good hygiene that it’s no longer hard for them to do so. Here’s how to create a low-cost hygiene routine the whole family can follow.
Why Good Family Hygiene Is Important
Have you ever been near someone who clearly hadn’t showered in days or perhaps weeks? Perhaps they had visibly greasy hair or an unpleasant scent around them. Generally, it’s not a pleasant experience to be close to people who choose not to keep themselves clean. Those who don’t practice good hygiene often find it challenging to build and maintain personal relationships. It can lead to social rejection, or even bullying.
Beyond the negative social ramifications, poor hygiene can also be damaging to overall health. Dirty, unwashed hands can help facilitate the spread of diseases from one person to another. On the other hand, keeping your body clean can help reduce illnesses, and get rid of the sweat, dirt, and grime that accumulates on the body throughout the day. It can also boost mental health by enhancing self-esteem and improving appearance.
Essentials for a Budget-Friendly Hygiene Kit
Creating a cost-effective hygiene kit for the whole family starts with selecting versatile, affordable products and exploring DIY options. You don’t need high-end items to stay clean and healthy — simple, multipurpose products can go a long way. Here are suggestions to stock your hygiene kit while keeping expenses in check.
Buy in Bulk
Purchasing hygiene products in bulk can significantly reduce costs over time. Look for family-size options or wholesale stores to stock up on essentials such as:
- Liquid hand soap refills
- Shampoo and conditioner combos
- Toothpaste multipacks
- Body wash or bar soap bundles
Money-Saving Products to Include
Consider these budget-friendly and reusable items to complete your hygiene kit:
- Reusable Washcloths: These can replace disposable wipes and are easy to clean.
- Period Underwear: They’re a cost-effective alternative to disposable menstrual products.
- Refillable Soap Dispensers: Buy bulk refills to save money and reduce waste.
- Washable Makeup Remover Pads: Reusable cotton can replace single-use makeup wipes.
- Stainless Steel Safety Razor: While the initial cost is higher, it pays off with durable blades that are more affordable in the long run compared to disposable razors.
Explore DIY Alternatives
Making your own hygiene products at home is another excellent way to save money. DIY options are cost-effective and customizable to your family’s needs. Examples include:
- Hand Soap: Mix liquid castile soap with water and add essential oils for fragrance.
- Toothpaste: Combine baking soda, coconut oil, and a few drops of peppermint oil.
- Exfoliating Scrub: Use coffee grounds or sugar mixed with olive oil to create a scrub.
By choosing affordable, multipurpose products and incorporating DIY options, you can assemble a hygiene kit that fits within your budget while meeting your family’s needs. Modeling the use of these items in your daily routine will encourage your children to adopt consistent, hygienic habits.
Suggestions for a Budget-Friendly Family Hygiene Routine
It’s crucial to teach children from a very young age the importance of taking care of their bodies and health. You can do this by helping them establish a daily self-care routine and following one yourself. To help you save money and avoid waste in the process, here are some suggestions for a budget-friendly family hygiene routine.
Be Strategic About Washing Clothes
Washing clothes after wearing them removes dirt, germs, and body odors. Putting on clean clothing each day is an important part of any good hygiene routine. However, washing every item of clothing after a single use can be expensive and may not always be necessary. This is especially true if you have a big family.
It’s often considered socially acceptable to wear the same pair of jeans a couple of days in a row. Wearing your jeans a few times between washings can also help you save money. Washing your jeans too often can wear out the fabric faster so you need to replace your jeans sooner. Similarly, you can typically wear the same jacket or coat up to 10 times before washing it, as long as it doesn’t smell bad or look dirty.
Set Up a Shower Schedule
Most people don’t want to hang out with the “stinky kid” at school, and you certainly don’t want your child to earn that nickname. Talk to your kids about the importance of bathing regularly, especially during their adolescent years when hormone changes tend to produce strong body odors.
It can be challenging to make sure everyone has sufficient time in the shower or bathtub, especially if you have a big family. To simplify things, consider setting up a shower schedule. That way, each member of the family gets a chance to clean themselves without bickering over who gets to go first.
To save money on soap, water, and other bathing supplies, teach your kids how to be frugal with what they use. It might feel great to bask in a hot shower for 30 minutes, but doing so is unnecessarily wasteful. Intentionally minimizing waste can help you save money on personal hygiene supplies and your monthly water bill.
Encourage Regular Hand Washing
Washing your hands is one of the easiest ways to prevent the spread of germs. And yet, many people skip this important hygiene step. Unfortunately, if your family doesn’t have good hand-washing habits, it could cost you money. If you’re constantly getting sick due to poor hygiene, you’ll end up spending more money on medicine, tissues, and doctor’s visits.
To keep your family healthy and functioning well, teach each member the importance of regular hand-washing. At a minimum, hands should be washed before eating, after using the bathroom, after playing with pets, and after going out in public. For younger children, you could encourage them to wash, wash, wash their hands, with a song.
Getting your family to implement good hygiene habits may seem prohibitively difficult at first. But if you model good behavior and encourage consistency in your hygiene routines, it will become easier with time. Use these suggestions to establish a low-cost hygiene routine that will keep your family healthy while saving you money.
