Hygiene is often seen as a universal standard but what one culture views as perfectly clean, another may find puzzling or even off-putting.
While Americans pride themselves on being clean and presentable, their concept of good hygiene doesn’t always align with the rest of the world.
From squatting toilets to brushing teeth with twigs, here are 14 hygiene practices from around the globe that leave many Americans scratching their heads.
1. Squatting Instead of Sitting
In most American homes and public restrooms, sitting toilets are the norm. Squatting is often reserved for emergency roadside situations or in nature.
However, many countries, especially in Asia, use squat toilets as the standard. While the position might feel awkward to Americans, studies suggest that squatting is actually more natural and better for the body’s elimination process.
Squatting also minimizes contact with surfaces, making it more hygienic in many public spaces.
2. Water Over Toilet Paper
Most Americans rely solely on toilet paper after using the restroom. The idea of using water to clean via a bidet or handheld sprayer is often considered messy or unsanitary.
However, in many cultures, particularly in Europe, the Middle East, and parts of Asia, water is seen as a more thorough and hygienic way to cleanse.
Critics of toilet paper argue that it merely smears rather than cleans, and that using water is both cleaner and more environmentally friendly.
3. Bucket Baths
The American preference for long, steamy showers is not the global standard. In countries like India, the Philippines, and some regions of Africa and Australia, people take “bucket baths,” using a small container to pour water over themselves.
This method may seem primitive to some Americans, but it’s efficient, conserves water, and still gets the job done.
4. One Soap for Everything
Americans often stock multiple soaps one for the face, another for the body, one for hands, and perhaps even specialty soaps for sensitive skin. In contrast, many cultures use a single bar or liquid soap for all purposes.
To Americans, this might seem unsophisticated or unhygienic, but the simplicity and cost-effectiveness appeal to many around the world without sacrificing cleanliness.
5. Bathing at Night Instead of the Morning
For many Americans, a morning shower is a ritual part of waking up and preparing for the day. But in many parts of the world, including much of Asia and Latin America, it’s more common to shower at night.
The idea is to cleanse the body of the day’s sweat and grime before climbing into clean sheets. From a hygiene perspective, it makes sense, but to Americans, it can feel like skipping an important part of the morning routine.
6. Eating with Your Hands
In the U.S., utensils are essential at mealtime, and eating with your hands is often considered impolite or unhygienic.
Yet in many cultures, such as in India, Ethiopia, and parts of the Middle East, eating with hands is the norm and even a cultural tradition.
When done properly, it’s not only hygienic but also considered a way to connect more intimately with food.
7. Wearing Masks in Public
Before the COVID-19 pandemic, wearing a face mask in public was rare in the U.S. Many Americans viewed it as unnecessary or even suspicious.
But in countries like Japan, South Korea, and China, wearing a mask when sick or to avoid pollution has long been a standard hygiene practice.
It’s a communal gesture of care and cleanliness that is only recently becoming normalized in the West.
8. Greeting with a Kiss
Americans typically greet with a handshake or, in closer relationships, a hug. But in many European and Latin American countries, a kiss on the cheek is standard even between acquaintances.
While this physical contact is seen as a warm and friendly greeting elsewhere, many Americans find it uncomfortably intimate or unhygienic, especially when it involves contact with multiple people.
9. Using Perfume Instead of Hand Sanitizer
In Turkey, guests are often offered a splash of Kolonya, a lemon-scented cologne with a high alcohol content. It’s used to refresh hands and kill germs essentially acting as a fragrant hand sanitizer.
While the antibacterial effect is legitimate, Americans might be skeptical about replacing Purell with perfume, questioning whether it’s truly sanitary.
10. Removing Shoes Indoors
In Japan, Korea, and many Scandinavian countries, it’s customary to remove shoes before entering a home. Often, guests are given house slippers to wear indoors.
While some Americans practice this, many consider it inconvenient or even unhygienic especially the idea of sharing someone else’s slippers. However, the practice keeps outdoor dirt and germs off clean floors and carpets.
11. Washing Hands Without Soap
In some parts of the world, especially in rural areas or traditional cultures like Hindu communities, people use natural substances such as ash or soil to scrub their hands.
While the idea may seem shocking to Americans used to antibacterial soap, these materials are surprisingly effective at removing dirt and microbes.
Scientific studies have shown that abrasive natural substances can provide mechanical cleansing just as well as soap when used correctly.
12. Not Using Deodorant
Forgetting to apply deodorant is a source of anxiety for many Americans. Smelling fresh is a top priority in American hygiene culture. However, in other parts of the world, especially East Asia, deodorant use is uncommon.
Genetics play a role many East Asians have a gene variant that causes them to produce less body odor. For them, skipping deodorant isn’t a social faux pas it’s just normal.
13. Brushing with Twigs
In the U.S., brushing your teeth is synonymous with using a modern toothbrush and toothpaste.
But in several countries, including parts of Africa and the Middle East, people clean their teeth with miswak or chewing sticks small twigs from certain trees with antimicrobial properties.
These natural brushes are not only effective but have been used for centuries and are endorsed by the World Health Organization for dental hygiene.
14. Air-Drying Clothes
Americans often rely on dryers for their laundry, fearing that air-drying can lead to mildew or that it takes too long.
But in much of the world, especially in Europe and Asia, air-drying clothes on lines or racks is the standard.
It saves energy, preserves clothing fabric, and doesn’t carry the same concerns about musty smells especially in warmer, drier climates.
Alicia Richards