October 15 is World Handwashing Day. Sounds funny? Not necessarily, if we realize that hand washing can prevent poisoning, tapeworm or e. coli infection, stomach flu and even death. The question remains how and with what to wash your hands so that it really serves our health.
Although on a daily basis at home it may seem that washing your hands before each meal is a thing of the past, such a habit can … save your life! In many developing countries, thousands of deaths could be avoided if they washed their hands with clean soap and water before eating. That’s why it’s important to get into the habit of washing your hands automatically when it can help keep your stomach healthy: on the train, at the train station, on vacation or while camping.
Beware of public placesIt is equally important to wash your hands after going to the toilet, especially in places such as forest toilets, toilets or concerts. By washing your hands with soap and water, we prevent many serious diseases, such as typhoid fever, e. coli infection or stomach flu. Washing your hands after using public places, such as public restrooms, transport and shops, also helps prevent viral infections, from the serious ones to the common flu.
It’s important for children
It is especially important that children wash their hands. Firstly, they often bite and suck things found on the ground or their own hands, which can result in serious poisoning and infections. In addition, they play all day, for example in the sandbox, where it is easy to get infected, for example with a tapeworm. It is worth teaching the child this habit as early as possible, thanks to which, at the age of several years, he will start remembering to wash his hands regularly.
Technique is important
And how to wash your hands to get the maximum benefit from it? Unfortunately, a superficial rinsing of your hands under water or “spraying” with soap and putting your hands under a stream of water will not bring too much result. As with brushing our teeth, we all know the instructions, but not everyone has the time or desire to actually spend five minutes on this activity each time. So how do you wash your hands? Under hot water and with soap. First, we soap the tops of the hands and then the insides and soap them thoroughly, removing impurities. Then rinse thoroughly. We can also use a nail brush that will remove dirt from under the tiles – in the case of adults or children who bite their nails, it is a must after visiting the train or bus. Then dry your hands thoroughly with a clean towel or air diffuser. This is important, because if we wipe our clean hands on our pants, our washing of hands did not help.
Choose a soap
What about washing your hands? If we are prone to irritation or allergies, you can choose a proven solution, i.e. gray soap. However, you can make this activity more pleasant and choose one of the hundreds of unusual soaps available on the market today: glycerin, chocolate, peeling or olive. Although bacteria are most effectively removed by health and safety paste and specialized soaps, there is no need to use them on a daily basis. They dry out the skin of the hands and affect the lipid barrier of the epidermis, which weakens the skin’s resistance. If you have very dry skin after washing your hands, you should invest in a moisturizing or glycerin cream and use it after each washing. You should not wash your hands with dishwashing liquid. It dries very much, and after a few years of such washing, our hands will seem older and more damaged.