Hand Washing is One of the Best Ways to Keep Healthy

I have become a bit of a germ-a-phobe. All the talk of the flu and seeing so many people with colds and 'flu-like' symptoms, well, I don’t want ANY part of that stuff!  One of the best ways to stay healthy and avoid a lot of nasty little things is simply to wash your hands.

I mean with soap and water and for at least 20 seconds. So far, it has paid off.

Now, 20 seconds does not sound like a long time, but to time it out, sing ‘Happy Birthday’ to your-self.. twice. Make sure you soap up and wash the fronts, backs, fingers and nails. Rinse and then dry.  I know..I know…hand sanitizers are so easy and handy, and great when you are not near a place to wash your hands. However, soap and water work very well and are super affordable.

You need to wash your hands of course not only when use the bathroom but also when you prep food, dealing with anyone who is sick, if you are sick, you change a diaper, feed the pets or handle the garbage.  It is so simple but still so many people don’t wash their hands.  In fact, a survey from a few years ago found from a thousand people, 71% claimed to wash their hands on a regular basis, 58% have witnessed others leave a public restroom without hand washing, 35% have witnessed a co-worker leave the restroom without hand washing AND 20% have witnessed a restaurant worker leave the restroom without hand washing. As for those 71% who say they do wash, I would be very interested to know if they do the whole soap and 20 seconds of hand washing or just rinse their hands.