Mistakes You Should Avoid While Washing Your Hands Every Cold And Flu Season

Some of us seem to have trouble with what should be a simple task, like washing our hands. Don’t you worry, here’s all you need to be aware of.

You may have assumed that washing one's hands was a basic skill that every child eventually mastered. The majority of people (95%) don't bother washing their hands for long enough after using the restroom, according to a research published in the Journal of Environmental Health in 2013. In addition, 23% of people didn't use soap when washing their hands, and 10% didn't wash their hands at all. Gross!

One of the greatest ways to stop the spread of illness during cold and flu season is to lather up. Here are five common blunders you can be doing.

You don't always wash your hands

It is unacceptable to avoid hand washing after using the restroom. If you choose to exit the bathroom without first washing your hands, you will be bringing with you not just the bacteria you picked up from the door lock, the toilet flusher, and other surfaces, but also the germs you brought with you. Then, you'll spread your germs to everything else you contact.

It's also important to wash your hands before eating or preparing food, in case you don't already. Otherwise, you might end up with food poisoning. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends washing hands after using the restroom, before eating, and after cleaning the litter box.

You avoid using soap

It's a common misconception that soap just removes dirt and grime from hands. Bugs might be difficult to remove off the skin, but soap is a chemical combination designed for the task. Because bacteria and viruses have fatty outer surfaces, the chemicals in soap cause a chemical reaction that clings to the microbes and carries them off in the lather.

It's also worth noting that liquid soap, which is less likely to be contaminated, is often more effective than barsoap.

Although it is less effective on extremely germy or oily hands, hand sanitizers containing at least 60% alcohol can aid in a situation.

You need to spend more time scrubbing

If you quickly rinse off the soap, it will be ineffective. To properly clean your skin, you need to scrub for at least 20 to 30 seconds. Get some blood flowing by massaging your palms, backs of your hands, and in between your fingers at that time. Scrub with interlaced fingers by placing one hand on top of the other. In this method, you may protect both sets of fingers from harm.

One place many people don't think to check is under their fingernails, which is where a lot of germs and viruses hide. Rub the finger tips of your right hand on the palm of your left hand and vice versa to clean under your nails.

You always make use of hand dryers

Scientific research has proven that paper towels are superior. Wet hands transfer bacteria more readily than dry hands, and the biggest problem is that individuals don't use hand dryers long enough to dry their hands completely.