Handwashing is the most effective way to prevent the spread of bacteria, germs, and infectious disease, yet 67% of individuals do not wash their hands on a regular basis. Of those who wash their hands, only about 5% wash correctly. The result is sickness and illness that could have been prevented. That cold that now has you sneezing and feeling miserable? Your hands could have contributed to the illness and can do so again in the future.
Each year we are exposed to more than 1.6 million forms of bacteria. Around 1,500 bacteria per square centimeter live on your skin at any given time. Around 80% of all communicable diseases are transferred by touch. This means we are all at great risk of picking up bacteria or germs if we do not correctly wash our hands.
Still not convinced that handwashing is drastically important. Check out the following list of reasons why handwashing rules. Then, make it your goal to properly wash your hands as often as possible to prevent the spread of bacteria, germs, and illness.
1. Protects Again COVID-19
COVID-19 is the biggest threat to our health today. Washing hands can help drastically reduce the spread of this virus and help put an end to the pandemic. Keep hand sanitizer on hand as well, apply a 99% alcohol-based solution to the hands any time you cannot wash with water.
2. Stops Germs
Properly washing your hands and drying them is the most effective way to avoid picking up those germs on the surfaces that you touch. Wash them for at least 20 seconds, concentrating on the fingernails where most bacteria live. Use hand soap to wash. Proper handwashing reduces the risk of sickness and illness.
3. Prevents Foodborne Illness
Foodborne illness occurs more frequently when a person does not perform handwashing before preparing food. Never prepare food until you have washed your hands with soap using hot water.
4. Reduces Sickness
Handwashing reduces the risk of sickness and illness, in turn saving you money since you will not visit the doctor, require medication, or miss time from work.
5. Feel Better
When you wash your hands often, you feel better because you are healthier without the bacteria, germs, and microorganisms about the skin. Your hands also look better and feel much softer when properly washed throughout the day.
6. Consider Sanitizer
Use a soft cloth or paper towel to open public doors, stalls, etc. Dirty doors and doorknobs harbor germs and bacteria that can make you sick. Consider using hand sanitizer when you leave public locations.
7. Increase Confidence
How embarrassing is it to stick your hand out in front of others only to discover they are dirty or that your fingernails are dirty? It happens more often than people care to admit. Washing hands often saves you from this embarrassment and makes you a little bit more confident.
8. Stay Healthy
Not washing your hands is only plain gross. We touch so many dirty things every single day and add more bacteria to our hands. Handwashing removes all the germs and bacteria and keeps us healthy.
9. Be Cool
Washing your hands is the cool thing to do. Everyone else is doing it and so should you. After all, fitting in is important and you do want to be one of the cool kids, right? Just do it.
Handwashing keeps us all safe and healthy. It takes extraordinarily little time to wash your hands and do your part to reduce the spread of germs, bacteria, and viruses. We all stay healthy and live longer when we’re handwashing often. Your good health is worth the small effort that clean hands and handwashing requires.
