Bathing is the act of washing the body, usually with water, or the immersion of the body in water. It may be for personal hygiene, religious ritual or therapeutic purposes. By analogy, especially as a recreational activity, the term is also applied to sun bathing and sea bathing.
Detail of Jean-Pierre Norblin de La Gourdaine's Bath in the Park (1785)
Astronaut Jack R. Lousma taking a shower in space, 1973
A woman preparing to bathe
Three young women bathing. Side B from an Ancient Greek Attic red-figure stamnos
Hygiene is a set of practices performed to preserve health.
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), "Hygiene refers to conditions and practices that help to maintain health and prevent the spread of diseases." Personal hygiene refers to maintaining the body's cleanliness. Hygiene activities can be grouped into the following: home and everyday hygiene, personal hygiene, medical hygiene, sleep hygiene, and food hygiene. Home and every day hygiene includes hand washing, respiratory hygiene, food hygiene at home, hygiene in the kitchen, hygiene in the bathroom, laundry hygiene, and medical hygiene at home.
Washing one's hands, a form of hygiene, is the most effective way to prevent the spread of infectious diseases.
Hand hygiene sign in public restroom
A tippy tap for handwashing after using a urine-diverting dry toilet in Pumpuentsa, Ecuador
A clear plastic toiletry bag
