In the field, cleanliness is part of capability

The most important point of hygiene in the field is washing your hands. Infections and parasites spread where people live close together. One person's carelessness therefore shows up quickly in others.

Cleanliness starts with the hands

Everyone is responsible for their own cleanliness and for the cleanliness of their own kit. The responsibility has two halves, and both travel with you the whole time. Washing your hands is the single most important part of personal hygiene.

Relieve yourself in a field latrine. If there is no latrine, dig a small hole. Waste and used paper are covered with soil or moss. Wash or disinfect your hands every time afterwards. Every time includes the time you are in a hurry.

Teeth and washing belong to the rhythm of the day

Teeth are brushed after eating. When brushing is not possible, xylitol gum or a xylitol pastille does the job instead. So there is always a substitute, and it travels in a pocket.

Washing or swimming after hard exertion and sweating belongs to the same routine. It is not extra comfort but part of how the day runs. After exertion it is maintenance in exactly the same way as drying your kit.

Dry, intact kit is part of cleanliness

Wet kit gets dried. Soaked kit gets changed for dry. Dirty and damaged kit is replaced when conditions allow. Replacing does not wait for the end of the camp; it happens at the first possible opportunity.

Kit cleanliness sits in the same responsibility as your own. It is not postponed but handled as the day goes along. That way neither half piles up into the last job of the evening.

Shared equipment has named responsibility

The group's shared kit is listed. Every item has someone responsible for it, and that responsibility covers three things: storage, carrying it along, and maintenance. Once responsibility is named, no item is left to chance.

Group material is packed into transport cases. The cases protect it from dirt, dust, water and snow, and they are numbered. Numbering is a small job that speeds up every later check.

The equipment is checked at three points: before dark, when raising readiness to move, and before moving out. The checks land at the moments where a missing item can still be found.

Maintenance happens straight after the task

Material is serviced after the task or exercise. Tools are dried with a rag and lightly oiled. Tents and nets are cleared of debris and dried before they are rolled and tied. A tent rolled up wet does not improve in storage.

Broken guy lines are replaced and knots that have pulled tight are undone. Missing and damaged material is recorded and reported onward. Rubbish is collected in a bag and taken to a bin.

Post-task maintenance is preparation for the next time. Kit stored dry and intact goes out again without an extra round of repairs.

Sources

• Sotilaan käsikirja (Soldier's Handbook, 2024), p. 129. A public guide of the Finnish Defence Forces.