Dirt on the screen is a perfectly fine reminder that, hey, wash the hell up you dirty bum. I'd imagine tracking dirty footprints would also be cool.
I can imagine going to the status screen and seeing, next to the inventory, an ailment effect. Like, say, "Miner Sickness", with bouts of nausea, slowness and blindness. Unlike debuffs, milk won't help, but you could brew medicine that chips away at the sickness or sleep it off like a real man.