Antewise

Oxygen Not Included Hygiene Guide

Updated 20 Oct 2026 Source Synthesized from published Oxygennotincluded guides; rewritten in original wording on 20 October 2026 By

Germs spread

Food and slime germs ride on hands and water. A sick duplicant is a stalled duplicant, so break the chain.

Sinks matter

Hand-washing sinks cut germ transfer at farms and bathrooms. Place them where duplicants must pass.

Seal the dirty

Polluted water and slime belong in their own sealed room, away from food and living space.

Filter the water

A water sieve cleans polluted water for reuse. Recycling keeps the loop closed and the base clean.

Air the room

Deodorizers cut polluted oxygen at the source. Put them where the mess starts.

Build the wash

The building database lists sinks, sieves and scrubbers. Place them at every clean-dirty seam.

Separate the larder

Keep food sealed from germy floors. A clean storage stops a sick duplicant from spoiling the rest.

Watch the slime

Slime tiles breed germs. Dig them last and wash anyone who touches them.

Ranch with care

The critter database shows species that pollute. Wall off the messy ones before they foul the air.

Wash the hands

A hand sink by every farm and bath stops germs riding into food. Put it right on the path they take.

Quarantine the sick

Pull a sick duplicant off clean duty at once. A germ carrier in the larder ruins the whole stock.

Seal the vents

Close vents between dirty and clean rooms. Open vents let air carry pollution across the base.

Hygiene buildings

  • Printing Pod (cat Buildings, effect Light Range: 5 tiles)
  • Plumbing (Building)
  • Decor
  • Cell of Interest
  • Stations (Building)
  • Rocket
  • Base (Building)
  • Utilities (Building)
  • Power (Building)
  • Building
  • Refinement (Building)
  • Overheating
  • Radiation Sensor
  • Rocketry (Building)
  • Piping
  • Ventilation (Building)
  • Furniture (Building)
  • Great Monument (cat Buildings)

Critters and germs

  • Shine Bug
  • Critter
  • Drecko
  • Plug Slug
  • Hatch
  • Egg
  • Critter Morphs
  • Pacu
  • Puft
  • Gassy Moo
  • Morb
  • Shove Vole
  • Pokeshell
  • Slickster
  • Pip

Frequently asked questions

What hurts a colony?

Polluted water, slime and food germs sicken duplicants. A clean base is a healthy base.

How do I stay clean?

Separate polluted sources, wash at sinks, and keep food sealed from germy hands and floors.

More Oxygen Not Included guides

Sources

Figures and item data on this site are read from the game’s own reference wiki before publishing. Where a value could not be confirmed there, the page says so instead of filling the gap.