While washing your hands with soap and water is highly effective in removing germs, it doesn't necessarily remove all of them. The primary goal of handwashing is to physically remove germs, dirt, and chemicals from your skin, rather than killing every single microorganism.
Here's a breakdown of how it works and what to know:
* Physical Removal Soap and water create a lather that traps and lifts germs, harmful chemicals, and dirt from your hands. The friction from scrubbing then helps to detach them, and the rinsing washes them down the drain.
* Effectiveness Handwashing is considered the most effective way to prevent the spread of infections. It can prevent about 1 in 3 diarrhea-related illnesses and 1 in 5 respiratory infections.
* Technique Matters For effective handwashing, you should use an adequate amount of soap, rub your hands together to create friction for at least 20 seconds, and rinse under running water. Don't forget to scrub all surfaces, including the backs of your hands, wrists, between your fingers, and under your fingernails.
* Soap Type Plain soap is just as effective as antibacterial soap for most purposes, and there's no evidence that antibacterial soap offers additional health benefits for consumers. Some studies even suggest that using antibacterial soap may contribute to antibiotic resistance.
* Hand Sanitizer vs. Handwashing While alcohol-based hand sanitizers (with at least 60% alcohol) can kill some types of germs, soap and water are generally preferred. Handwashing is better at removing certain germs (like norovirus and C. diff), pesticides, heavy metals, and visible dirt or grease. Sanitizers are a good alternative when soap and water aren't available, but they don't physically remove germs or dirt.