What's the best way to wash hands?
According to CanWest News, Canadian government officials, based on internal documents, can't agree on how long to scrub.
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Correspondence between senior Ontario and federal bureaucrats obtained under an access to information request reveal disparities in hand washing advice, as discovered by an Ontario health official who surveyed government health websites looking for advice.
The inconsistencies prompted her to muse, "maybe we should have a National consensus meeting on how to wash your hands."
No need to file pondersome information requests. A google search reveals all kinds of differing advice on how best to wash hands. We’ve come up with our own, but are constantly revising as more information becomes available.
The steps in proper handwashing, as concluded from the preponderance of available evidence, are:
• wet hands with water;
• use enough soap to build a good lather;
• scrub hands vigorously, creating friction and reaching all areas of the fingers and hands for at least 10 seconds to loosen pathogens on the fingers and hands;
• rinse hands with thorough amounts of water while continuing to rub hands; and,
• dry hands with paper towel.
Water temperature is not a critical factor -- water hot enough to kill dangerous bacteria and viruses would scald hands -- so use whatever is comfortable.
The friction from rubbing hands with paper towels helps remove additional bacteria and viruses.
Next time you visit a bathroom that is missing soap, water or paper towels, let someone in charge know. And next time you see someone skip out on the suds in the bathroom, look at them and say, “Dude, wash your hands!”
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http://barfblog.foodsafety.ksu.edu/admin/trackback/110797
I have a question so that I may better understand the hand washing process. In the article "What's the best way to wash hands? Posted on February 4, 2009 by Doug Powell" you state, "Water temperature is not a critical factor -- water hot enough to kill dangerous bacteria and viruses would scald hands -- so use whatever is comfortable."
My understanding of the 1) Wet 2) Soap/Lather 3) Scrub and 4) Rinse process is to loosen microbes that would then be transferred away from the skin by the drying paper towel. So very unscientifically, my observations over the years are that hot water seems to help remove "stuff" from surfaces better than cold water - be that dirty dishes, your car or your kid's hands. If I am having trouble removing dirt, I get warmer water. So would it not make sense that a hotter, yet still bearable water temperature would be more effective, not in killing, however, in helping to loosen microbes, dangerous bacteria and viruses that would then be removed by the paper towel?
Again, just curious on your thoughts regarding water temperature and hand washing...
Jon,
Doug asked me to comment.
You are right that warmer water may loosen debris better. Especially if that debris is fat-based. The heat liquefies the fat and promotes removal.
Doug's statement is still correct with respect to bacteria killing. The water will never get hot enough to kill bacteria.
The bottom line is, however, that no hard scientific data exists that quantify the benefit (or lack thereof) of temperatures from cool through warm.
Similarly, no one has studied the effect of washing for less than the "FDA-approved" 20 seconds.
- Don