The Healthy Blogger

Proper handwashing techniques are difficult to follow

A year ago, after hearing the mandatory OSHA talk on workplace hazards, etc., I became extremely paranoid about the spread of germs. This paranoia gradually diminished with time until I was almost back to normal. Almost, that is, until this year’s talk. However, the effect was not as strong this year. I don’t know if it was the speaker’s intent to create obsessive-compulsive behavior or simply to scare us into being a little more careful. But this year’s talk was less emphatic. Important points broached in the previous discussion involved hand-washing, sanitation and various infections. This year’s discussion focused on hand-washing and a brief overview of infections.

We all know hand-washing is essential to prevent infection. But most of us do not do it properly.

Proper hand-washing involves the use of soap and very warm water, covering all areas of the hands including between fingers and under the fingernails. This process should take at least twenty seconds. It is recommended to sing a popular nursery song as you wash to ensure the required time – something like, “Happy Birthday” or “Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star” or one verse of “Old MacDonald Had a Farm”. Paper towels should be rolled out in advance in preparation for drying. After drying, you should use the paper towel to turn off the water.

Here is the ideal scenario: after using the toilet, you roll out the paper towel (unless the dispenser contains single sheets of towel); turn on the water to the hottest setting you can tolerate, wet your hands thoroughly; dispense the soap and lather up for twenty seconds, being sure to cover all areas; rinse thoroughly; dry your hands with paper towel; shut the water off with said towel; open the door with said towel and hold it open with your foot; toss towel into trash.

What can go wrong?

The process sounds simple enough, yet many things can go wrong with hand-washing. First of all, not everyone likes to wash their hands. We all know people who skim through this process, skipping soap or only washing for a few seconds, if at all. Some prefer to use hand sanitizer, which is a reasonable alternative when soap and water are not handy; however, soap and water are the best ways to get rid of germs.

Let’s look at the ideal scenario and see where things can go wrong. One of the hardest parts to follow is the drying. Most of us do not remember to have paper towels ready. In addition, many public bathrooms are now equipped with electric dryers – some wonderfully efficient, others not quite so. Although these electric dryers are very convenient for some and are environmentally friendly, they do not offer a solution to turning off the water or opening the door. You may say, use bathroom tissue. But this is not a good option, as you will see later.

Although some of us think that hot water alone will kill germs, it does not. Hardly any of us could tolerate the amount of heat it takes to kill germs. Therefore, it is recommended that you use the hottest water you can personally tolerate. Remember, it shouldn’t be cold water. And, remember to use soap.

How many of us actually time the lathering phase? It sounds simple to sing a song, but most of us feel silly singing it out loud, and you know you can rush through a simple melody in your head. And most of us do not cover all areas between fingers, behind the hands, and under the nails. And once you’re done, it’s so automatic with most of us to reach for the taps and turn it off, especially if the towel is not ready.

What can cause such paranoia about hygiene? Well, most of us are not aware that when you flush the toilet, the pressure applied to the water causes a very fine jet spray into the air, which can contaminate the immediate area. In the case of the automatic flushers in public restrooms, this spray can go a distance of forty feet. Imagine the spread of germs! This would contaminate you and everything around you. It is recommended that you close the lid before flushing, but these automatic flushers do not have lids. Therefore, hand-washing (in addition to other hygiene measures) is extremely important to prevent the spread of germs.

How can we improve hand-washing etiquette?

This would be the real utopian’s ideal scenario: public toilets are made with automatic flushers and lids; when you are done, you step on a button which closes the lid, thereby signaling the toilet to flush; you open the stall door (you could step into the future and make stall doors open and close automatically but I don’t think that’s a good option yet – just imagine if the door opens before you’re ready); wet your hands under the automatic sink (which many modern bathrooms already have); dispense soap (some bathrooms have automatic soap dispensers); wash for twenty seconds covering all areas; dry under the automatic dryer (some have automatic towel dispensers); doors open automatically or if they have paper towels, you can use the towels to open the door.

Technology has made some things better and some things worse in terms of hand-washing. Automatic flushers, soap dispensers, water taps and dryers make things very convenient. On the other hand, some water taps and soap dispensers are timed and if you miss them, you have to start over again. In addition, if there is a power outage, hand-washing is impossible. There should be alternate solutions offered as back-up in such cases.

Problems exist in almost every public bathroom system. However, it would be impossible to make drastic changes overnight to all public bathrooms worldwide. Everyone needs to adopt better hygiene practices in order to help prevent the spread of germs and disease.