how do you properly wash your hands?

[xmdslatx]

When I wash my hands I literally wash for 1-1 1/2 minutes.I know that 20 seconds is good enough but I just don't feel safe, like I washed all the germs off.

How exactly does washing the viruses/bacteria/germs off work?

[tessa17]

the physical scrubbing action and the water flowing over your hands gets the virus off. it's the same way a good scrub cleans dirty dishes.[img]smileys/smilies_01.gif[/img]dish soap doesn't kill the germs, yet they're safe to eat off of again. why? because the physical scrubbing action gets everything off.

that's partly why you have to be careful of too much handwashing in the winter, because scrubbing to hard, combined with dry air can make your skin raw and provide entrance for bacteria (lotion or vaseline or baby oil helps protect agains this)

[xmdslatx]

I better start lotioning my hands then lol...they are raw and starting to feel numb when I am washing.

Luckily, I did get gloves so I can cut the washing.


What about the dishwasher? does that get the viruses off?

[jkl81]

I think dishwashers get hot enough to kill it. Usually you see some steam with dishwashers so that means you have to be getting close to 212*F which would be hot enough...

[tessa17]

there's also alot of water motion over the dishes, which helps was stuff off. I would still check dishes before you use them and make sure there's not residue on them. our stinky dishwasher leaves dirty dishes in there each time we wash![img]smileys/smilies_11.gif[/img]

[+ kozi +]

+ I squirt a ton of soap on my hands and scrub under hot water (I heard that hot water is better for killing germs).
I scrub until there's soap under my nails.
I have the tendency to smell my hands afterward to make sure they smell clean (like the soap).

I take forever to wash dishes.
I scrub for an extremely long time.
Even so, every time I get an eating utensil I rinse it first (even if I'm the one who did the dishes). +

[sage]

You don't need the water hot at all, and in fact I wouldn't recommend that. You could never get the water hot enough to kill the virus without burning you, so don't even try.
The point is that the soap loosens the viral particles on your hands (plain soap is best) and then the water rinses them down the sink. Even cold water works fine, although warm is more pleasant.
Washing for 15-20 seconds is sufficient. Any more than that and you're doing more harm than good - creating tiny abrasions in the skin where viral particles could get trapped. DON'T rub your hands raw!
I found a cool website once, but can't find it again now - with a great chart. Basically it says this:
1) rub palms
2) knuckles to palms
3) webbing of fingers
4) thumbs
5) wrists
6) fingernails (can use a brush for these)
Then Rinse!

[+ kozi +]

+ Oh...
I don't suppose I can just use the excuse that I simply prefer hot water, can I?

Anyway, that is great advice you provided!
I think it will help us all.
Thank you! +

[roadtofreedom]

haha 2 years late but your right 20 secounds is good (or so they say) but it wouldnt hurt to wash your hands longer, it would probably help you mentally too

[Rebecca85]

Actually it could hurt to wash your hands longer, as you wash off the protective oils on your skin (leading to dry, itchy, cracked hands that are more susceptible to germs!). As for the mental aspect, again it could do more harm. OCD and avoidance behaviours become deep rooted because whenever you follow them and don't get ill, the behaviour is reinforced, regardless of the fact that you wouldn't have got ill anyway. Imagine you wash your hands for 1 minute each time. Then one day, you feel contaminated by something, so you wash your hands for 2 minutes instead. You don't get ill. Wow! Washing your hands for two minutes stops you getting ill! So now you wash for 2 minutes everytime. Until you get 'contaminated' again, and wash your hands for an extra minute, just to make sure... and so on.

Have you ever seen the episode of Malcolm in the Middle where Hal keeps getting strikes at bowling? And he realises his flies were undone, so he undoes them everytime he goes to bowl the ball. And then he sneezes or something, so he does that everytime he goes to bowl. And he has an itch so he scratches it every time too. Logically, you know none of those things have any bearing on whether or not you get a strike! And it's the same with handwashing. Experts have done studies and said 20 seconds is enough. Extra washing makes no difference to your chances of getting ill.