Germs are pretty much everywhere. They’re in our schools, our offices and even in our own kitchen sinks, and some of them can make us really sick.
Proper Hand Washing
According Daniel Allan, M.D., of Cleveland Clinic, 80 percent of all infections are transmitted through touch, but we can avoid most of them by simply washing our hands the proper way.
“Warm water is probably your best bet,” said Allan. “It loosens the oils and soils on your hands. You want to use at least a teaspoon worth of soap, you want to lather in soap for at least 15 seconds before you rinse.”
Allan said that research has shown that most people wash their hands for less than 10 seconds. He said that increasing the wash time from 15 to 30 seconds actually decreases the number of bacteria on the skin by 10 times.
Experts also recommend that washing the wrists, around fingernail edges and even all the way up to the forearms, as these areas tend to carry a significant amount of bacteria.
No Need for Antibacterial Soap
Allan said people don’t need any special soap to get the job done, because soap alone doesn’t kill bacteria, but rather loosens it and helps the water do its job.
“Soap does not kill bacteria,” he said. “It loosens and helps the water remove it from your skin. And even the antibacterial soaps, if you actually look at the illness rates between people using regular soap and antibacterial, their rates are the same. As long as you wash, you’re very unlikely to have illness.”
Allan also said that alcohol-based hand sanitizer is an effective germ killer. Studies have shown that within 30 seconds of use, it kills 99 percent of the bacteria on the hands, so it can significantly reduce a person’s chance of getting sick.
Be Mindful
According to Allan, oftentimes staying well really comes down to being aware of what we’ve touched and when we last washed up.
“Pretty much every surface has some bacteria, so you just have to be aware of that and the most important thing is to wash your hands before eating and try not to touch your face, or rub your eyes, or rub your nose. We touch our face many times throughout the day, oftentimes we’re unaware of it,” Allan said.
— Submitted by the Cleveland Clinic News Service
