Why Washing Your Hands Is So Important
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Health and Wellness

Why Washing Your Hands Is So Important

Your hands will become home to millions of bacteria.

Lindsey Rutherford
Mar 05, 2018
University of Mississippi
253
Why Washing Your Hands Is So Important
123rf.com

Every day, I am noticing more and more people are not washing their hands after using the bathroom and these people are not children either, they are grown, adults. I thought everyone was taught to wash their hands after using the bathroom, but maybe I was wrong.

With the growing number of people who skip washing their hands, there are a few alarming facts they should take into consideration.

Everyone knows that there are plenty of bacteria in bathrooms. However, according to an article on Bustle, "The average person has about 200 million bacteria per square inch on their hands after using the bathroom." Let that sink in for a minute- 200 million bacteria per square inch.

And when you skip washing your hands, that 200 million bacteria spreads not only onto everything you touch but also on the food you eat. So, you are pretty much-eating bacteria from the bathroom. I don't know about you but that seems disgusting to me.

Not washing your hands also spreads diseases more quickly. Respiratory diseases and bacterial infections are more likely to be spread when one does not wash their hands. Think of everything you touch every day: handrails, door knobs, your face, your eyes, food, and much more.

Touching all of those allows for all of the bacteria on your hands to spread. So, if you just so happen to have a bacteria on your hand that causes a disease, it is very likely you will spread it to others and yourself.

Washing your hands is not that difficult. It takes about 15-30 seconds at the most. It is still likely that some of the bacteria will remain on your hands after washing them, but not 200 million. Also when given the option of drying your hands using paper towels or hand dryers, it has been found that hand dryers actually contain much more bacteria than paper towels.

Therefore, for the best hygiene after using the restroom, wash your hands for about 30 seconds and dry with paper towels.

The next time you use the restroom think about washing your hands if you used to skip. I promise it won't be a waste of your time.

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This article has not been reviewed by Odyssey HQ and solely reflects the ideas and opinions of the creator.
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