Handwashing 101

Recently, while washing my hands in a public restroom, some young adults were observed preparing to leave the restroom. After leaving the stall, they used some hand sanitizer, then walked out the door. They did not use soap and water to wash their hands. Their choice may, understandably, be a result of our recent pandemic experience. Back then, people came to rely on hand sanitizer.

You may remember that during the pandemic, we used hand sanitizer. It was found everywhere, in stores, restaurants, offices, and especially in health care facilities. Sometimes, it was required to use hand sanitizer to enter a place. We got used to using it, just like we got used to wearing face coverings. Hand sanitizers were being promoted as a good alternative to use until we could get to running water and soap for a good scrubbing. But there’s a problem – not all hand sanitizers are effective. Even those with at least 60% alcohol do not kill all germs like the norovirus. And hand sanitizers do not remove some chemicals, including pesticides. See this downloadable pdf from the Centers for Disease Control here.

If hand sanitizer is not effective, what is effective to remove bad stuff from your hands? Hand washing. Using running water, with lots of soap and plenty of scrubbing, and then drying your hands with a disposable towel is an effective way to kill most germs. Watch this video for a tutorial on effective hand washing:

Are towels potentially better than air drying your hands with the popular blow dryers? That is what some experts believe. An article published by Harvard Health cites a study conducted by the University of Connecticut and Quinnipiac University. It was found that using a blow dryer could suck up bacteria from the air and blow it onto your clean hands. To see the article, click here.

Using a disposable (paper) towel brushes germs and bacteria off. And then you have a barrier to use to open the door without touching it. It’s a win-win.

Weekly Safety Challenge:

What would you have done if you saw someone not washing their hands after using a restroom? Why?