How UAE astronaut maintains hygiene even in space

UAE astronaut Sultan Al Neyadi, who has successfully entered his third month in space, has adjusted well to life on the orbiting International Space Station (ISS). In a microgravity environment, where objects float involuntarily, his daily routine, which includes brushing his teeth and bathing his face and hair, is structured.

On Friday, he shared a new video about how he maintains himself clean and fresh.

Brushing one’s teeth in space, 400 kilometers above Earth, is similar to brushing one’s teeth at home – except that astronauts like Al Neyadi can start their routine by having fun first.

Al Neyadi begins his daily hygiene routine in the four-minute video clip by letting his toothbrush and toothpaste float before scooping them up and squeezing a pea-size toothpaste.

He then brushes his teeth up, down, and sideways before wiping his mouth with a napkin. Water is not gargled because it is an extremely valuable and scarce resource in space.

After brushing his teeth, Al Neyadi shows how he washes his face in the video. He takes a pouch of water and squeezes it to release globules of water.

Al Neyadi washes his hair with ‘rinse-less’ shampoo, then massages his head before drying it with a moist towel. And, because his hair is now short, he doesn’t need to comb it.

There is no such thing as a shower in space. Astronauts essentially only use wet wipes to wash themselves, and having a shower is one of the things they admit to missing the most on the ISS.