Germs can get into the body through the eyes, nose and mouth and make us sick. Germs from unwashed hands can get into foods and drinks while people prepare or consume them. Germs can multiply in some types of foods or drinks, under certain conditions, and make people sick.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says to wash your hands for 20 seconds. The World Health Organization says hand-washing should take 40 to 60 seconds.
Handwashing is one of the most important things you can do to prevent food poisoning when preparing food for yourself or loved ones. Your hands can spread germs in the kitchen. Some of these germs, like Salmonella, can make you very sick.
Common respiratory illnesses caused by poor hand hygiene include the common cold, influenza, chicken pox and meningitis.
The importance of hand-washing
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, germs like Salmonella, E. coli and norovirus (just to name a few) can get onto your hands after using the toilet or changing a diaper — and then, in turn, onto other things.
Before, during, and after preparing food. Before and after eating food. Before and after caring for someone at home who is sick with vomiting or diarrhea. Before and after treating a cut or wound.
So how many times a day should you be washing your hands? According to experts, aiming for six to 10 washes a day can make a big difference when it comes to keeping viruses and bacteria at bay. Want to know more about why handwashing is such an effective way to stop the spread of infectious diseases such as COVID-19?
Scientific studies show that you need to scrub for 20 seconds to remove harmful germs and chemicals from your hands. If you wash for a shorter time, you will not remove as many germs. Make sure to scrub all areas of your hands, including your palms, backs of your hands, between your fingers, and under your fingernails.
Over half (58%) of US adults say they always wash their hands with soap after going to the restroom at home. A quarter (25%) say they wash with soap most of the time after a trip to the bathroom at home, while 10% do this some of the time and 4 percent rarely do.
One USDA study found that up to 97% of people don't wash their hands correctly. Only 3% of USDA study participants washed their hands correctly. While 58% of people wash with soap and water, very few people wash their hands for long enough.
From a person's style of thinking to their degree of delusional optimism, the need to feel “normal” and the potency of their feelings of disgust, a number of psychological factors are subliminally discouraging people from washing their hands.
After a year, he said, you'd have a build-up of skin stratum corneum, or dead skin on top of your skin. It includes a build-up of a protein our skin produces that has a funky odor to it. Bacteria also would accumulate on the skin, giving off a nasty smell when it mixes with our sweat.
Nonetheless, evidence suggests that washing hands for about 15-30 seconds removes more germs from hands than washing for shorter periods 15, 17, 18.
What is compulsive hand washing? Patients with compulsive hand washing perform excessive and repetitive washing of their hands in an attempt to relieve severe distress associated with obsessive and irrational fears of contamination.
Managing stress, improving your diet, and seeking medication and treatment are just some possible strategies for dealing with OCD hand washing. You could also consider seeking support from others with similar experiences.
For those with OCD, on the other hand, a single washing is never enough. Even after multiple washings, the anxiety associated with fear of contamination will continue to interrupt their thoughts to the point of disrupting their lives—and washing their hands does little to relieve the anxiety.
How often should you shower? While there is no ideal frequency, experts suggest that showering several times per week is plenty for most people (unless you are grimy, sweaty, or have other reasons to shower more often). Short showers (lasting three or four minutes) with a focus on the armpits and groin may suffice.
Double handwashing acts as an insurance policy preventing dangerous pathogens. This practice helps protect the hands of those who are preparing food as well as the customer from foodborne illness. Double handwashing removes pathogens from the food worker's hands.
Washing hands can keep you healthy and prevent the spread of respiratory and diarrheal infections. Germs can spread from person to person or from surfaces to people when you: Touch your eyes, nose, and mouth with unwashed hands. Prepare or eat food and drinks with unwashed hands.
Urine is generally sterile, but bacteria from feces may spread and contaminate surfaces you're unwashed hands touched. I had quite a discussion with a male friend on the subject of washing your hands after urinating. I consider it unnecessary. There are no bacteria in urine.
“So it's wisest to always wash with soap and water even after urinating. Neither plain water nor alcohol hand sanitizers are effective at removing fecal material or killing bacteria in fecal material.”
Scrubbing up with your hands is recommended. "It's best to just wash with our hands," suggests Erum Ilyas, MD, MBE, FAAD. "Loofahs have been well-documented reservoirs of bacteria. They have been shown to grow Pseudomonas, Klebsiella, Enterococcus, Staphylococcus, and more.