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What You Need to Know About Hand Hygiene
Medical statistics indicate that 80% of communicable diseases are hand transferrable. This proves that human hands carry a host of germs that are responsible for several diseases. It also explains why 67% of people adopted hygienic hand practices to limit harboring unwanted pathogens even before the pandemic. How well do you wash your hands, and have you considered some factors that are crucial to protecting your skin in hand washing routines? Here are a few to keep in mind.
Water temperature
The usual practice is to open the tap to wash your hands while oblivious to the water’s temperature. According to Florida City Research, some microbes remain on the hands even after washing with soap, as some pathogens require some amount of heat to be eliminated completely. The research findings further stated that the water should be at least 100˚F (38˚C) and combined with soap for a successful hand wash.
Supporting these findings is additional medical research that proved that certain types of bacteria could only be killed off by heat. However, the guiding rule is for you to wash under a water temperature you can comfortably tolerate. The last thing you want is to end up scalding your hands in an effort to clean them. Therefore, whenever there’s a need to wash your hands, opt for a temperature other than cold.
Soap and alcohol dry the hands
The frequent washing of hands with soap and water eliminates natural oils that protect the skin’s surface, resulting in dry, cracked, or chapped hands. In extreme cases, some people may react to the chemicals in the soap. Again, another notable culprit for uncomfortably dry hands is the alcohol hand rub. Although these products are designed to deal with harmful microorganisms, they can be harsh on the skin too.
Fortunately, some alternatives work perfectly when dealing with hand cleaning without the harsh element. Zylast is an antiseptic lotion that protects the hands from harsh skin reactions while eliminating disease-causing agents. Read more on Zylast reviews to gain insight into what users think about this product.
The type of soap used matters
Soaps come in different forms – i.e., liquid, gel, bar, or foam. Indeed, they’re all effective in hand washing routines. However, did you know that some are better than others, depending on where they’re used? For instance, in a public restroom, liquid, gel, or foam soaps are preferable because there’s a lesser risk of transferring infections. The bar soap tends to harbor remnant bacteria because it’s handled directly by the user when rubbed into the palms. Even in households with large families, the best option for handwashing shouldn’t be bar soap.
Additionally, some manufacturers add fragrance to soaps to heighten their appeal, while others don’t. Indeed, fragranced soaps are usually to enhance the allure. Have you heard the debate about plain soaps and antibacterial ones? According to the Harvard University Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, antibacterial soaps are no more effective than plain soap.
Although they’re infused with additional elements to stop bacteria from multiplying on your hands, they don’t kill off germs per se. Therefore, even though you may wish to use an antibacterial product, you can’t ignore the role plain soap plays too.
Having these factors at the back of your mind will help make your handwashing techniques more effective and friendly on your skin.
