Do you wash your hands?

Recently, when I went to a public toilet, I saw many people leaving without washing their hands.

I sometimes forget to wash my hands after pooping too.

What!?!?!?!? That’s dirty!

Check out the study below to see how dirty your hands get after pooping!

【The number of bacteria on hands when wiping with toilet paper after defecation】

In the study, the number of bacteria on people’s hands was counted after they wipe their bottoms with four layers of toilet paper after defecation.

The result showed that an average of 40,000 bacteria from faeces and other sources were detected on the surface of the hands.

This happens because toilet paper has tiny holes, and bacteria are smaller than these holes and can get through.

40,000! That’s many!

Yeah, that’s why we have to wash our hands.

Ok, from now on, I’ll wash my hands after pooping.

That’s not enough!
Even if you don’t poop, your hands get dirty when you touch the door handle, toilet lid, etc., because there are lots of bacteria and viruses in those places.

【The main dirty areas in the toilet】
– Door knobs, locks, door side
– Paper holders
– Toilet lids
– Flush buttons, lever handles

Okay, then from now on I’ll just wash my hands quickly with water.

That’s not enough!
Research shows that it’s better to use soap and rinse with water.

【Differences in virus levels depending on hand-washing method】

For example, let’s say you have 1,000,000 viruses on your hand.

The research shows that:
Rinsing with running water for 15 seconds reduces the virus count to 10,000 (1%),

Washing with soap for 10 seconds and then rinsing with running water for 15 seconds reduces the virus count to 100 (0.01%),

and

Repeating the cycle of 10 seconds of washing with soap and 15 seconds of rinsing with running water twice reduces the virus count to just 1 (0.0001%).

It’s true that rinsing with water after using soap reduces the amount of virus significantly.

That’s right.

Make sure to wash your hands properly not only after using the toilet, but also when you get home. This will reduce the amount of viruses and bacteria you bring into the house.

OK!👌

参考文献
‐ Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare. Current status and countermeasures for food poisoning caused by norovirus. https://www.mhlw.go.jp/file/06-Seisakujouhou-11130500-Shokuhinanzenbu/0000105095.pdf
– Lidea, Lion. Why is it important to wash your hands after using the toilet? Wash your hands thoroughly to keep them clean. 19 July 2023. https://lidea.today/articles/003545
– Shigeharu Oie, Shinya Kawai; Microbial contamination of hands with or without the use of bidet toilets (electric toilet seats with water spray) after defecation. J Water Health 1 January 2022; 20 (1): 271–275. doi: https://doi.org/10.2166/wh.2021.255