A study comes to overturn everything we believed until today, about hand washing. A daily habit that probably never crossed our minds that we do not do it right!
The US Department of Agriculture recently conducted a study and its findings are revealing, as it states that 97% of the times we wash our hands, it is done in the wrong way and can lead to the spread of everything kind of diseases.
The survey was published by Cnn and as reported, most consumers do not wash their hands for the required 20 seconds. This is the time suggested by the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, for a good wash, while in less time not enough germs are killed. The study was conducted on 363 people at six kitchen testing facilities located in the Raleigh-Durham area of North Carolina. What he found was that almost every person who works in the kitchens, failed to meet the standard of hand washing set by the CDC.
Also, many of the participants did not even bother to dry their hands after washing. There was also a large number of participants, who washed their hands in half the time than planned (20 seconds), as a result of which they spread germs on the surfaces they touched, such as the cupboards or the refrigerator door.
Even worse than the fact that 97% of the participants washed their hands incorrectly, is that over the years the washing becomes more and more wrong. And for the sake of truth, in 2013 another survey had shown that only 5% of people wash their hands properly (ie 95% did it wrong).
But what is the right way to wash your hands? The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention provides a guide:
- Wet your hands with clean, running water (hot or cold), turn off the tap and use soap.
- Rub your hands well. Make sure you soap between your fingers and under your nails.
- Make sure the wash will take 20 seconds (You can sing… Happy Birthday, as counting time).
- Rinse your hands thoroughly with clean, running water.
- Dry your hands using a clean towel or air (if you are outside and there is a machine).