Why Hand-Washing is More Important Than Wearing a Mask

Original Joey Knotts theBeijinger

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In order to help you stay safe from the spread of the coronavirus, we at the Beijinger have tried to cover everything you need to know about masks. However, it is time to admit that in doing so, we may have overlooked a factor that goes a much longer way toward keeping you healthy: proficient hand-washing.

Why is hand-washing more important?

A mask may help to protect you from errant sneezers who happen to point their snouts your way, but a far more likely scenario is that you touch a surface contaminated with droplets of liquid that contain the virus and then touch your face.

Water helps remove bacteria (shown as white in these UV images), but soap makes it much more effective

The coronavirus can only travel a few feet through the air, but once it settles on a surface, it can likely stay there for hours, as evidenced by the myriad surfaces of a Buddhist temple in Hong Kong that tested positive for the virus after several visitors fell ill.

And, while all pathogens are different, studies have shown that hand-washing can reduce the risk of respiratory infection by up to 44 percent.

What does soap even do anyway?

Unlike hand sanitizers, soap does not directly kill bacteria or viruses, and yet it is more effective at removing viruses from your hands. That is because soap is able to help water do its job, which is to wash away all the grease and oils that are harboring pathogens on your skin. Without these oils, the virus dies.

Hand sanitizer is not as effective as soap and water, as demonstrated by the difference in mould growth between bread samples 4 and 5 above

But if that is the case, then can water alone help to clean your hands? Yes, but you would have to scrub for a full five minutes to achieve what soap and water could do in 30 seconds.

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How to properly wash your hands

Many people only wash their hands for a few seconds, but the recommended time is 30 seconds (yes, it can feel like a lifetime). Furthermore, studies have shown that washing your hands for only five seconds produces virtually no change in contamination levels.

Be sure to scrub every part of your hand

In order to completely remove grease and oils from your hand, you must apply pressure to every part of your skin. Fingertips and the skin that connects the fingers at the base are frequently missed.

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The amount of soap you use also matters. One study showed that using three milliliters of soap is significantly more effective than using only one milliliter. Studies have also shown that the brand rarely matters, just so long as you actually use some.

Another study showed that wearing a ring or false fingernails reduced the effectiveness of handwashing.

Get scrubbing, folks!