Palit A, Batabyal P, Kanungo S, Sur D.

Guidelines on Hygiene in Health Care: A Summary pdf icon external icon

The Global Public-Private Partnership for Handwashing.

Step-by-Step Guide to Hand Washing external icon

The Benefits of Hand Washing external icon.

Nonetheless, evidence suggests that washing hands for about 15-30 seconds removes more germs from hands than washing for shorter periods 15, 17, 18.Īccordingly, many countries and global organizations have adopted recommendations to wash hands for about 20 seconds (some recommend an additional 20-30 seconds for drying): For example, surgeons are likely to come into contact with disease-causing germs and risk spreading serious infections to vulnerable patients, so they may need to wash hands longer than someone preparing their own lunch at home. The optimal length of time for handwashing is also likely to depend on many factors, including the type and amount of soil on the hands and the setting of the person washing hands. Solely reducing numbers of microbes on hands is not necessarily linked to better health 16. Of those that exist, nearly all have measured reductions in overall numbers of microbes, only a small proportion of which can cause illness, and have not measured impacts on health. Why? Determining the optimal length of time for handwashing is difficult because few studies about the health impacts of altering handwashing times have been done. This rule does not affect hand sanitizers, wipes, or antibacterial products used in healthcare settings. As a result, FDA issued a final rule in September 2016 that 19 ingredients in common “antibacterial” soaps, including triclosan, were no more effective than non-antibacterial soap and water and thus these products are no longer able to be marketed to the general public.

To date, studies have shown that there is no added health benefit for consumers (this does not include professionals in the healthcare setting) using soaps containing antibacterial ingredients compared with using plain soap 9, 10. Using soap to wash hands is more effective than using water alone because the surfactants in soap lift soil and microbes from skin, and people tend to scrub hands more thoroughly when using soap, which further removes germs 2, 3, 7, 8. Turning off the faucet after wetting hands saves water, and there are few data to prove whether significant numbers of germs are transferred between hands and the faucet. The temperature of the water does not appear to affect microbe removal however, warmer water may cause more skin irritation and is more environmentally costly 4-6. However, washing with non-potable water when necessary may still improve health 3.

Why? Because hands could become recontaminated if placed in a basin of standing water that has been contaminated through previous use, clean running water should be used 1.

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