From crowded buses and train stations to classrooms, gyms, and healthcare settings, we’re constantly negotiating hygiene in shared spaces. Nisreen Abdel-Majid explores how to approach the tricky conversations of hygiene, addressing environment, expectation, and access. Kindergarten teacher Melinda Morbi shares how hygiene is introduced early in classrooms and how those messages can follow us into adulthood. Cardio and kickboxing instructor Noura Sadek reflects on fitness spaces where sweat is expected, and how fitness culture shapes ideas of cleanliness and confidence. Ada Juristovski, co-founder and CEO of Nala Care, compares health choices like antiperspirants versus deodorants, while registered nurse Leslie Depoe discusses hygiene standards in healthcare settings and their impact on care and comfort. We ask where the line lies between private choice and public responsibility when it comes to hygiene in shared spaces.