The Importance of Washing Your Hands
As soap makers, we’re pretty fastidious people. We know germs are inevitable up to a point, but we also try to avoid them as much as possible. At the time of this writing, the world is currently experiencing the COVID-19 pandemic. Now, more than ever, it is so important to wash your hands.
When Do We Wash Our Hands?
- before and after preparing food (and during, depending on the meal)
- before eating a meal
- before taking out or putting in contacts
- after using the restroom
- after changing a diaper
- occasionally after coughing or sneezing (usually this happens in the crook of an elbow and not in hands, but if it happens in hands, definitely wash)
- after cleaning anything (counters, floors, toilets, etc)
- after taking out the trash or recycling
- after touching a public door handle
- after touching someone else’s phone
- after touching someone else’s hand (adult or child)
- after petting a stranger’s animal
- after treating a wound
- after touching plants in the forest
- after grocery shopping (dirty carts and products could be dirty too)
- after handling money
This is certainly not a comprehensive list. Let me know what I missed!
If you aren’t a hand-washer and you’re wondering why it even matters, perhaps this quote from the Center for Disease Control will make you think again. “A single gram of human feces—which is about the weight of a paper clip—can contain one trillion germs.” WOAH! Just think about it. When you change your baby’s diaper, or you flush a toilet in a public bathroom, or even use your own bathroom at home—these are all instances where fecal germs can contaminate your hands. Undoubtedly, you won’t contaminate your hands on purpose, but germs are microscopic and can get on you without your knowledge. A toilet handle may look clean to the naked eye but could be covered in germs. If you use the toilet, don’t wash your hands, and then prepare food for your child, you could be passing on all kinds of things! One gram of feces has ONE TRILLION GERMS. But if you just took a few moments to wash your hands properly, you could prevent the spread of many illnesses. We could easily avoid these problems by spending a few more seconds in the bathroom each day. How simple!