The purpose of hand washing is simpler than you might think.
When teaching food safety classes I often ask the question, “What is the purpose of handwashing?” Oftentimes the response is, “…to kill the germs on your hands.” While some soaps have antibacterial chemicals put into them, according to the FDA there is no evidence to prove these are more effective than just plain soap and water. We discuss these items at length in our food safety classes, in preparation for the ServSafe exam, but here is a quick list summarizing common misconceptions in hand washing.
Handwashing is not intended to kill anything on our hands. The soap and warm water are used simply to loosen dirt, grime, and pathogens (bacteria or viruses) from the surface of the skin, and send all those items down the drain and into the septic or sewer systems. Washing hands is no different than washing a lasagna pan with baked-on food debris. At home we use warm water, soap, and friction to break up the debris before putting away the clean dish. Hand washing is that simple!
The FDA banned 19 “supposed” antibacterial additives commonly used in soap products and body washes:
In 2016 the FDA issued the final rule stating that there is NO evidence to support that these additives are more useful in reducing bacteria on hands. In fact, there is some evidence that the main items used in antibacterial hand soaps could potentially do more harm than good over the long term. The type of soap doesn’t matter as long as the process is done correctly. In addition, some hand sanitizers are also made with the same chemical additives rendering the hand sanitizer 100% useless against viruses such as the flu, common cold, and Coronavirus. This topic will be touched on in another article.
Water temperature DOESN’T really matter:
The most recent edition of the Food Code actually lowers the required water temperature at handwashing sinks to 85°F. The most recent studies show that scrubbing, not the water temperature, makes the largest impact in the reduction of pathogens on the surface of the skin.
LADIES wash hands more often than MEN, (statistically):
This is absolutely not a surprise and needs no further explanation.
What does the Flu, the common cold, and Coronavirus all have in common?:
Additives which are so-called “antibacterial” will have zero effect on these pathogens because they are all viruses. Something “antibacterial” is only effective against certain bacteria, NOT viruses. Not to be redundant, again it is the friction of scrubbing with soap and warm water which sloughs off anything on the surface of the skin.
