Hand washing is an extremely important part of our daily lives, especially after going to the bathroom, going out or before preparing or eating food. Science has shown that: Hand washing can reduce the risk of disease, but we are still not doing enough. Industry experts agree that thousands of disease-causing bacteria can lurk on unwashed hands, which is why proper hand washing is so important.
The recent Covid-19 pandemic has further emphasized the importance of hand hygiene. In the “Global Sanitation Reset Report” conducted by Initial Washroom Hygiene, 74% of respondents globally said they are now more aware of hand sanitizer than before the pandemic.
So in this article, Qualitas DC will clarify the importance of proper hand washing.
Harmful effects of improper hand washing
Suffering from related diseases
If you do not wash your hands properly, harmful bacteria and fungi will cause disease in your body when you come into contact with the eyes, nose, mouth, etc. Some of the diseases encountered can be mentioned as:
- Upper respiratory tract infection
Upper respiratory tract infections are most commonly caused by not washing hands properly. These include colds, flu, sore throats, and bronchitis.
- Gastrointestinal infections
Gastrointestinal infections are diseases caused by bacteria or viruses that affect the stomach and intestines. These include diarrhea, vomiting, and abdominal pain.
- Skin infections
Skin infections are diseases caused by bacteria or fungi that affect the surface of the skin. These diseases include acne, impetigo, and nail fungus.
- Eye infection
An eye infection is a bacterial or viral disease that affects the eyes. These diseases include conjunctivitis and keratitis.
These diseases, if not treated in time, can cause sepsis, which is very life-threatening.
Infect everyone around
If you do not wash your hands or do not wash them thoroughly, stains and bacteria on your hands will not be completely removed. Therefore, you can infect these bacteria to your friends, family and everyone around. If you touch objects – like doorknobs or handrails – they will cling to these objects. From there, you can infect people you don’t even know.
Life influence
When you have been infected with related diseases when you do not wash your hands properly or are not clean, your daily life will be greatly affected. For example: you are tired, even in pain, you have to stop playing and entertainment, greatly affecting your work, study and especially the cost of treating these diseases, etc.
So how to avoid these diseases? It’s as simple as practicing proper hand hygiene and using reputable hand hygiene products.
How to properly wash hands?
Most people wash their hands in haste, wash their hands with water, skip the use of soap, don’t rub their hands well, etc. Taking a little extra time to wash hands thoroughly will prevent the spread of infection. spread of disease-causing bacteria. Here is the proper hand washing procedure:
- Wet hands with water.
- Take a small amount of soapy hand sanitizer on your hands and rub your hands together, creating lather on the palms and back of the hands as well as between the fingers.
- Continue rubbing your hands together for about 20 seconds.
- Wash your hands under clean running water.
- Dry your hands with a clean paper towel.
When washing our hands at home, most of us have a hand towel in the bathroom. Towels can be a hiding place for many types of bacteria and create a place for them to multiply, creating a source of disease. Although this is not a big deal, you should change or wash these towels often!
When soap and water are not available, alcohol-based hand sanitizers – such as hand sanitizers – will be of great help. The process of washing hands is similar to soapy hand sanitizer, but you will not need to rinse with water. Because these hand sanitizers will evaporate on their own after a short time.
When to wash hands?
Hand washing is one of the best ways to protect yourself and your family from getting sick, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends thorough hand washing during these critical times:
- Before, during and after meal preparation or food handling
- Before eating
- Before and after caring for a sick person or treating a wound
- After going to the toilet
- After touching raw food
- After going to the bathroom or changing a baby’s diaper
- After touching the garbage
- After blowing your nose, coughing or sneezing
- After touching animals, animal food, animal waste, etc.
- After contact with public surfaces.
- Choosing the right hand sanitizer
Currently on the market there are many types of soap-based hand sanitizers as well as dry hand sanitizers. You need to choose reputable brands. Unreputable hand sanitizer products easily lead to unwanted effects such as: Harmful hands, unpleasant odors, harmful to the environment, long washing, costly, …
Hand Soap helps to clean hands and eliminate bacteria and fungi on the skin. The product also contains agents that inhibit and prevent their growth. The product also contains nutrients that are good for the skin, especially sensitive skin.
See more: Qualitas DC’s specialized hand-washing products
