Producer: Priyanka Das Editor: Nisha Dubey

10 Dos and Don’ts of Hygiene for a Better Sex Life

Few people enjoy the intimate act of sex when they are feeling less than fresh. A great way to ensure that you are both feeling clean before you head to the bedroom is to shower together!

Bad breath can ruin an intimate moment, but it is important to know that it is not advised to brush your teeth immediately before sexual activity. This is because friction could harm the gums and make them bleed.

It’s important to wash your hands with soap and water, before touching your partner’s genitals, this way you will avoid depositing any harmful micro-organism.

If you use the bathroom immediately before sex, then you won’t have enough urine in your bladder to properly push out the bacteria that accumulates during your intimate activities.

Even if you are using another form of birth control, such as the pill or an IUD, all that does is prevent pregnancy. Condoms are important because in addition to preventing pregnancy, they protect you against most STDs as well.

Some women think they need to clean inside their vagina after sex with water or pre-packaged fluids. But douching can lead to more infections. It messes with the internal pH balance and can lead to more infections.

It is advised to clean your genitals with a little water before sexual activity. Unlike our hands, it is not so advised to use soap, since it’s abrasive, it may irritate both male and female’s delicate genital skin.

When you have sex, your vaginal bacteria can get pushed into your urethra, where it doesn’t belong. By peeing after sex, you push it back out before it can cause infections.

No matter if you’re going solo or having sex with a partner, it is crucial to thoroughly clean sex toys after every use. If you use a dirty sex toy, you’re at risk of contracting a sexually transmitted infection.

You don’t have to hop out of bed and into the shower right away. But gently cleaning yourself after sex can protect men and women from infections, like of the urinary tract (UTIs). Wash the area around (not inside) your genitals with plain warm water.