Hand Washing Facts

According to a survey conducted by the U.S. Centers for disease control and prevention, forty million Americans contract illnesses every year due to the bacteria on the hands and around eighty thousand of them die. Looking at these alarming facts, one can conclude that it is very important to keep one's hands thoroughly washed and clean at all times, to prevent illnesses and infectious diseases. It is also important to inculcate this habit in children from the very beginning itself so that it becomes a way of life for them. Below are some interesting figures, followed by useful tips on how and when to wash your hands.

Facts about Hand Washing

• Around two to ten million bacteria can be found between our fingertips and elbows.
• After a person uses a toilet, the number of germs that are there on his fingertips, doubles.
• According to 2007 survey, Harris Interactive, only seventy seven percent of the people actually wash their hands after they use a public restroom. Men are much more likely to skip washing their hands after using a toilet than women.
• If the hands are either wet or damp, they can spread germs thousand times more than dry hands.
• The germs have the capacity to stay alive on your hands for about three hours.
• Millions of germs get accumulated under the bracelets, watches and rings that a person might be wearing.
• People who are right-handed, do not wash their right hand as thoroughly as their left hand.
• According to U.S. Centers for disease control and prevention, eighty percent of all infections get transmitted by the hands.

Tips for Kids and Adults

When to Wash Hands

• Hands should be washed before preparing food as well as prior to eating food.
• Hands should be washed after a contaminated object or a dirty, germ infested surface has been touched.
• Hands should be washed before and after meeting a person who is suffering from any contagious disease.
• Washing hands is necessary after a person has used a bathroom.
• Hands should be washed after changing a baby's diaper.
• Wash your hands thoroughly after blowing your nose, sneezing or coughing.
• Hands should be properly washed after a person has touched an animal or its waste.
• Washing hands is compulsory after an open wound has been touched or treated by a person.
• Hands should be washed if someone has touched garbage.

Procedure to Wash Hands

• Start with wetting your hands with water.
• Apply a good amount of soap.
• Rub your hands against each other for about twenty seconds so that the soap and its lather spreads on all the parts of the hands.
• Rinse with water thoroughly and dry with a towel or with forced air.

In case soap and water are unavailable, a good alternative to wash hands is ethanol, either in foam or gel form, or a hand sanitizer which is alcohol based. It can be rubbed on all the parts of the hands and it works equally well as any soap to clean the hands.

Using a proper technique is very imperative, especially for people who work in the health and hospitality industry, where germ transmission is much more likely to happen. By thoroughly washing hands, a person is actually contributing to the prevention of spread of diseases. Researches have shown that if the hands are washed properly, then incidences of respiratory diseases as well as digestive diseases which are infectious can go down, which in turn can save a lot of lives. Thus, it becomes the duty of each and every person to learn from these facts and keep their hands properly clean and hygienic to lead a disease free and healthy life, both for the person and for the people who come in contact with the person.