According to the National Institute for Prevention and Health Education (I.N.P.H.E.), 80% of the microbes that surround us are transmitted through touch. Therefore, hand washing is crucial and should be incorporated into daily habits from an early age. On this note, it is important to know how often one should wash their hands.
Handwashing: How often should it be done?
Published on September 13, 2021, updated on February 14, 2024, by Stéphanie, PhD, Doctorate in Life and Health Sciences — 3 min of reading
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Why should we wash our hands?
Throughout the day, your hands come into contact with numerous objects that may have been contaminated by bacteria or viruses, turning them into veritable breeding grounds for germs. When you touch your eyes, nose, or mouth without having washed your hands beforehand, these pathogens can then enter your body. Moreover, the issue when you don't wash your hands is that you transfer your germs to everything you touch, which can then be transmitted from one person to another in various ways (bus bars, door handles, etc.). Thus, the next person who touches the contaminated object may contract the germs and become sick in turn. To reduce the risk of transmitting germs responsible for infectious diseases, such as the flu, gastroenteritis, skin and eye infections, intestinal worms, or even COVID-19, it is therefore crucial to ensure frequent and proper hand washing. Besides eliminating a large portion of the bacteria and viruses present on the skin, hand washing also cleans any visible dirt.
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How often should we wash our hands?
To maintain good health and protect those around you, it is crucial to wash your hands regularly, especially during critical moments when the risk of contracting germs is high. Therefore, hand washing should be a routine part of our daily lives, particularly before, during, and after preparing meals, before and after eating, after touching animals, after touching surfaces outside your home (stair railings, elevator buttons, bank card machines, money, etc...), after visiting public places (public transportation, etc...), after handling garbage or after using the restroom. Similarly, it's important to wash your hands before and after any contact with a sick person suffering from diarrhea or vomiting, before and after caring for a baby, or before and after treating a wound or injury. If you are sick, make sure to wash your hands after blowing your nose, coughing, or sneezing to prevent spreading germs to those around you. Lastly, simply wash your hands whenever they are dirty.
