Do I really have to wash my hands?
I often speak to the importance of good old hand washing to keep ourselves healthy but what if we don’t – wash our hands that is?
What about that person in the restroom at the same time we are who just leaves without washing their hands? It may be tempting to skip our time at the bathroom sink but what does that mean?
Well, if we don’t wash our hands after using the bathroom, we can infect ourselves with bacterial or viral illness especially when we casually touch our eyes, mouth or nose. When you wipe your mouth with a dirty hand or eat an apple the boom you deposit microscopic fecal material onto your lips – aka poop.
Human waste carries germs that can make us very sick. One gram of feces (the weight of 1 paper clip) can carry 1,000,000,000,000 germs. Nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, fever, sore throats, and hand-foot-mouth disease can all be caused by germs living in feces. We can also infect others when we cook their meals or hand them items or use their computer or push an elevator button. (Germs such as the Norovirus can live on hard surfaces such as a stair railing or counter tops for weeks!)
The bathroom is not the only place where we pick up germs. We also need to wash our hands before and after handling food, before eating, after changing our baby’s diaper, after sneezing or blowing our nose or playing with our pets. It is critical to wash often when caring for sick family members, taking out the garbage, treating a scrape or cut and passing the Peace at church on Sunday morning.
Many of us think we are fine because we use hand sanitizer. Hand washing is more effective than hand sanitizer at killing viruses. If you are in a remote area without access to running water, you may need to rely on hand sanitizer, but otherwise, hand washing with soap and water is better at cleaning your hands and spreading germs.
So stand at the sink for a few more seconds and really wash those hands. You and your family will feel better for it.
Jayne Dwyer-Reff, RN,
School Nurse