The Importance Of Hand Hygiene Amidst The Covid-19 Pandemic

“Wash your hands nicely.”

The latter is perhaps the very first thing you learned as a toddler at home and at school. Most of you might still remember the innocent handwashing competitions you had with your friends and siblings to determine whose hands were the cleanest. However, as people grow up, they tend to begin to pay attention to other aspects of their appearance like make-up and grooming, and disregard these seemingly minor hygienic considerations.

The latter is evident from the fact that your make-up kit usually needs a refill way before your handwash products that stand in your pantry for ages. Many of you might argue that the latter is not true and you wash your hands frequently, but research shows a completely different picture. Yes, 95% of people claim to wash their hands, but that is just a claim.

Here are a few questions to ask yourself. Do you wash your hands before preparing a meal or before eating? How many times did you skip washing your hands after visiting the toilet?

Before the pandemic, ⅘ people worldwide did not wash their hands after using the restroom. Accordingly, men are often more guilty of this bad habit than women, as 69% of them don’t wash their hands. But as usual, nature has a tendency of reminding us about proper hygienic practices. After all, humankind only learns the hard way. Thus, it unleashed the deadly Covid-19 virus to reinforce the importance of proper hand hygiene. However, a Canadian microbiologist unveiled a disturbing truth that only a minority of people follow proper hand hygiene despite the pandemic.

Resultantly, we shall use this blog to explain the importance of hand hygiene, suggest the correct hand washing procedures, and discuss other relevant aspects.

Hand Hygiene Facts And Figures

Before we suggest the right courses of action, it would be worthwhile to reinforce the subject’s importance through a few numbers:

• On average, your bare skin (especially your hands) are exposed to about 840,000 germs.
• Only about 5% of people wash their hands correctly, while most people wash their hands for less than 6 seconds.
• The latter is the cause of 50% of food-borne diseases.
• The number of bacteria on our fingertips and nails doubles after using the bathroom.
• 10% of credit cards, 14% of banknotes, and 16% of phones have fecal matter on them. So think again the next time you are tempted to eat without washing your hands.

Since 80% of contagious ailments are spread through direct touch or indirectly via contaminated objects, proper hand hygiene is the ultimate weapon against Covid-19.

What Does Proper Hand Hygiene Encompass?

Well, if you think that simply running water over your hands will do the job, you are deluding no one but yourself.

Invest In High-Quality Handwash Products

Handwash products are the most crucial aspect of your hand hygiene. Hence, it would be unwise to purchase low-quality cheap products. Instead, purchase a high-quality hand wash soap from a reliable sanitation supply store.

Likewise, no matter how much in a hurry you are for anything, always use soap when washing your hands.

Strictly Follow The ‘20 Second’ Rule

After the Covid-19 outburst, the ‘20 second’ hand washing rule became very popular. Yet, some people disregard the importance of these 20 seconds and merely wash their hands only for about six seconds. However, these short 20 seconds grant you a protective shield against 80% of transmissible diseases.

Isn’t the latter worth the effort of 20 seconds?

Use Hand Sanitizers When Soap Is Unavailable

From a practical point of view, we understand that soap and water may not always be available at all times and everywhere. As a solution to such situations, always keep an alcohol-based hand sanitizer handy. However, ensure that you properly rub the sanitizer on both hands and avoid touching anything before it dries.

Similarly, it would also be a good idea to keep a pack of sanitizing wipes in your school-going kid’s bag and invest in a sanitizer dispenser.

Never Skip Drying

Speaking of drying, did you know that wet hands are every germ’s favorite breeding spot? Therefore, never rush out of the restroom before appropriately drying your hands after washing them.

Teach The Younger Ones

Young minds are like molds of clay. Hence, the considerations you induce in them at this tender age will become hard-to-let-go habits in the future. Thus, teaching children these hand hygiene practices will not only protect them from the ailments at the moment but also make them better people in the future.

About Smith Sanitation Supply

When it comes to optimum household and office cleanliness, Smith Sanitation Supply leaves no area unexplored. We offer the widest range of handwash products, sanitation supplies, janitorial equipment, and more in Burlington. Contact us now to learn more.