How to wash your hands!
This post goes to the lady at the rest stop bathroom who forgot to wash her hands! I’m sure it just slipped her mind. She probably didn’t realize that she is part of the statistic that tells us: ‘one out of three people do not wash their hands after using the restroom’. She may not know that up to 80% of all infections are transmitted by not properly washing hands. So, I though I’d make a little post for her. Will ‘the non-handwashing lady’ read this post? I don’t know, but if she does, she can thank me later for just trying to keep her, her family, her friends, the world, and our would just a little healthier.
How to wash your hands (from the Mayo Clinic)
It’s generally best to wash your hands with soap and water. Follow these simple steps:
- Wet your hands with running water.
- Apply liquid, bar or powder soap.
- Lather well.
- Rub your hands vigorously for at least 20 seconds. Remember to scrub all surfaces, including the backs of your hands, wrists, between your fingers and under your fingernails.
- Rinse well.
- Dry your hands with a clean or disposable towel or air dryer.
- If possible, use your towel to turn off the faucet.
Keep in mind that antibacterial soap is no more effective at killing germs than is regular soap. Using antibacterial soap may even lead to the development of bacteria that are resistant to the product’s antimicrobial agents — making it harder to kill these germs in the future.
Easy enough…so I thought I’d research on the ‘germiest’ places:
The Top 10 Germiest Public Places
- Playgrounds (A full 44 percent of playground surfaces tested positive for bodily fluids…Yuck! Carry alcohol wipes or hand-sanitizing gel in your purse, and clean everybody’s hands a couple of times during a park visit, especially before snacking.)
- Bus rails/armrests
- Public bathrooms (Ya…we’ve all been there!)
- Shopping cart handles (Carts rank high on the yuck scale because they’re handled by dozens of people every day and you’re “putting your broccoli where some kid’s butt was,” says the professor of environmental microbiology… LOVE IT when the store provides sani wipes so you can wipe them down before you touch them!)
- Escalator handrails
- Chair armrests
- Vending machine buttons (After testing 38 ATMs in downtown Taipei, Chinese researchers recently found that each key contained, on average 1,200 germs. “ATMs aren’t frequently cleaned, and they are regularly touched)
- Shared pens
- Public telephones
- Elevator buttons
“People are more worried about the trash can than the kitchen sink, when it should be the other way around.”
Charles Gerba, PhD, a professor of environmental microbiology at the University of Arizona
What about the germiest places around the house?
The kitchen sink
“Kitchen sinks are dirtier than most bathrooms,” says Kelly Reynolds, PhD, an environmental microbiologist at the University of Arizona. There are typically more than 500,000 bacteria per square inch in the drain. In fact, in a recent study, half of the top 10 germiest spots in the home were (gulp!) in the kitchen. That sponge you use to clean the counter? Crawling with bacteria, as are the sink’s basin and faucet handles. As for the sink, clean it twice a week with a solution of one tablespoon of chlorine bleach and one quart of water. Scrub the basin, then pour the solution down the drain.
A load of wet laundry
“Anytime you transfer underwear from the washer to the dryer, you’re going to get E. coli on your hands,” Gerba says. Just one soiled undergarment can spread bacteria to the whole load and the machine. Run your washer and dryer at 150 degrees, and wash whites with bleach (not the color-safe type; it doesn’t pack the same punch), which kills 99.99 percent of bugs.
Your Purse?
Dirty? Yep. Think petri dish. When University of Arizona professor of environmental microbiology Charles Gerba, PhD, and his team tested women’s purses not long ago, they found that most had tens of thousands of bacteria on the bottom and a few were overrun with millions. Another study found bugs like pseudomonas (which can cause eye infections), and skin-infection-causing staphylococcus bacteria, as well as salmonella and E. coli. Your makeup case is every bit as bad, as are your guy’s wallet and personal digital assistant. Instead of slinging your bag on the floor, hang it on a hook whenever you can—especially in public bathrooms—and keep your bag off the kitchen counter.
More Activities Explaining Hand Washing
The Scrub Club-games, songs, downloads, webisodes…only on the internet can we find games, songs and downloads on washing hands…Love it!
Coloring Sheet– On page three there are some ‘fun’ germs to color.
Make Handwashing Sitckers-just print them off on labels and waalaa!
Activity Sheets on Washing Hands
Okay, now that I’ve written this post give me a day or two to answer comments because I will be bleaching my sink, checking to make sure my washer is set at 150 degrees, buying a new purse, and doing activities with my kids about proper hand washing!
Thanks to the sites who helped me write this post!
Elaine’s Place
and I guess to the rest stop bathroom lady who inspired me to write a post on hand washing!
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Young Wife says
Thank you! I’m always disgusted when people don’t wash their hands. So, does laundry detergent not kill germs?
Beth Adams says
I asked a nurse and she said that laundry soap is effective and that whatever germs you think might get missed (say from a load of dirty diapers) the heat in the dryer kills. The germs also die hanging in the sun on the clothes line.
Shelley says
Funny post. I love it! 🙂 I think i am going to wash my hands now….
Brooke - in Oregon says
I actually perfer to use the hand sanitizer when I get out of the restroom, often you have to open the door and ya gotta know there are GROSS germs on that door! lol
Momtothree says
Ummm…gross. Pull down a 2 paper towels, use one to turn on the faucet, wash your hands, dry with fresh towel, use the paper towels to open the bathroom door, ~then~ use hand sanitizer as a secondary method to remove any wayward germs.
You are adding to the e.coli bacteria that is on the door handle.
Kristen says
Hand sanitizer is not effective against the C-diff bug that causes infectious diarrhea. Soap and water hand washing is the better way to go. Ask any health care professional and they will tell you the same.
Brandee says
I prefer to use hand sanitizer when in public places and then when I arrive home or to my destination, I wash my hands. There are so many germs on the faucet handles, doors, etc.
Martha Schultz says
Thank goodness for your comment about the anti-bac soap . so many people are using it and making there kids use it more good info on anti-bacterial ( triclosan ) go to http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2005/11/01/the-fda-finally-reviews-the-safety-of-antibacterial-soaps.aspx .
Amy says
I had a British friend who told me they teach kids how to wash hands in a specific order of places on the hand for ultimate cleanliness. I’ve been washing this way ever since! See this website for a quick illustrated poster on how they do it in England. http://www.hpa.org.uk/web/HPAwebFile/HPAweb_C/1194947386382
Kat says
Thanks for the note on anti-bacterial soap!
Brenda says
We have tried to teach the following poem to the children in our daycare center:
HANDWASHING
First turn on the water
And get your hands wet.
Just one squirt of soap—
You’re not finished yet!
Now rub round and round
Till your hands are all clean.
Rinse the soap off—but quickly
Now see your hands gleam!
Pull down just one towel
And pat your hands dry
Put your towel in the trash can–
You can if you try!
Now line up quite quickly
Don’t be very loud
And smile at your teacher—
You’ve made her so proud!
Kristi says
That was me- sorry to freak you out. But I’ve got moisturizing hand sanitizer in my bag, promise.
randi olvera says
i always wash my hands then put sanitizer on in public bathrooms. its just too gross of a place not to do both!!! Also i thought all soap was anti bacterial.
.-= randi olvera´s last blog ..Lowes Kids Clinic =-.
Michelle N says
I tell my kids to sing the alphabet song while washing their hands. When the song is over they can rinse and dry their hands. This way I know and they know their little hands are clean.
Martin says
Boy… After reading this post, I almost feel physically sick. I went to a birthday party in a public place just a few weeks ago. I went to the bathroom and I noticed this guy, who simply walked straight out of the cubicle, and left the bathroom. Upon returning to the party in the hotel bar, I was introduced to the very same guy. He put his hand forward, and I reluctantly shook his it. Needless to say I returned to the bathroom within minutes of this.
Are people not being taught genetal hygiene at home, or are they simply too lazy? Absolutely disgraceful, and a health hazard for the rest of us.
Martin
Kristi says
I wash my hand a lot at home and at work but sometimes when I go to public place like a restaurant or rest stop I find I am allergic to the soap they use. I keep sanitizer and wipes in the car for this reason. I do use a paper towel to open the door (to the restroom and the stall most times.)
lisa g says
I wonder if i can throw my purse in the washing machine.
Lara says
My daughter came up with a song when she was little for washing hands it’s about 20 minutes (for the life of me I can’t think of the tune): top and bottom, top and bottom, in between, in between, rub them all together, run them all together, squeaky clean, squeaky clean.
Lara says
Oh and remember to use an anti-bacterial lotion or go wash your hands after reading a menu, they’re NEVER washed. Also don’t put your silverware directly on the table in a restaurant, they’re not washed up to standard either..