hand washing

Hand washing and the science behind it

hand washing

Proper handwashing technique with water, soap, and towel is the key to safety any day. This is a friendly reminder to stop the spread of germs in your family, make regular hand washing a rule for everyone. To stop the viruses from spreading, we can’t stress the importance of hand hygiene enough. It may sound simple but handwashing is one of the most powerful habits to have to keep infections and diseases away.

Why is hand washing important?

Viruses aren’t alive unlike most microbes, they need to get into a human cell to grow. Otherwise, they cannot cause illness. These viruses tend to stay in the air when infected humans cough or sneeze. These droplets can then land on another person or even on frequently touched surfaces and moreover, it can also transfer through handshakes after someone carrying the virus sneezes or coughs into their hand. Handwashing is simply the best way to stop transmission. The virus and the soap both have fatty molecules that mingle with each other during handwashing. The molecules from the soap then break down the virus, effectively safeguarding us from the virus.

This is a simple recipe for good health so please make sure to wash your hands as often as you can.

Follow these steps for effective handwashing:

  1. Wet your hands with water and pump some hand wash liquid into your palms.
hand washing
Image from Iconfinder

2. Rub both your palms together and work on some lather.

hand washing
Image from Iconfinder

3. Now rub the back of your hands.

hand washing
Image from Freepik

4. Rub between the fingers.

hand washing
Image from Freepik

5. Rub each thumb.

hand washing
Image from VectorStock

6. Do not forget to get your wrists as well.

hand washing
Image from Iconfinder

7. Rinse off the soap from your hands.

Rinsing hands after scrubbing with soap under a tap.
Image from Iconfinder

8. Wipe your hands with a clean towel.

Wiping hands with clean towel after handwashing.
Image from Dreamstime

Washing your hands properly takes about as long as singing “Happy Birthday” twice.

Do not forget to turn off the tap once you have wet and rinsed your hands because it is good to save water at the same time.

Eat – Sleep – Hand wash – Repeat.

While you are all practising social distancing, make sure to keep yourselves fit and occupied through our list of homeschooling resources.