• Skip to main content
  • Skip to footer

Deep Roots at Home

  • Home
  • About
  • Podcast
  • Shop
  • Blog
    • Alternative Medicine
    • Babies & Pregnancy
    • Beauty
    • Books & Booklists
    • Brain & Gut Health
    • Children At Home
    • COVID-19
    • Detoxing & TRS
    • DIY & Crafts
    • Education & Homeschool
    • Faith & Family
    • Feel-Good Stories
    • Flourishing Marriage
    • Flourishing Womanhood
    • Food & Recipes
    • Food Additives
    • Garden & Homestead
    • Healthy Living
    • Herbs & Remedies
    • Holidays
    • Homemaking
    • My Favorite Products
    • News & Alerts
    • Parental Rights
    • Pharma & Vaccines
    • Play, Toys, & Movies
    • Raising Daughters
    • Raising Sons
menu icon
go to homepage
search icon
Homepage link
  • Home
  • About
  • Podcast
  • Shop
  • Popular Blog Topics
  • Alternative Medicine
  • Babies & Pregnancy
  • Beauty
  • Books & Booklists
  • Brain & Gut Health
  • Children at Home
  • COVID-19
  • Detoxing & TRS
  • DIY & Crafts
  • Education & Homeschool
  • Faith & Family
  • Feel-Good Stories
  • Flourishing Marriage
  • Flourishing Womanhood
  • Food & Recipes
  • Food Additives
  • Garden & Homestead
  • Healthy Living
  • Herbs & Remedies
  • Holidays
  • Homemaking
  • My Favorite Products
  • News And Alerts
  • Parenting / Parental Rights
  • Pharmaceutical Warnings
  • Play / Toys
  • Raising Daughters
  • Raising Sons
  • Popular This Week
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
  • ×

    Good Handwashing Starts in the Home: Slow Viruses in Flu Season

    2.8KViews Modified: Aug 24, 2021 · Published: Oct 11, 2019
    By Jacqueline 8 Comments

    Share456
    Telegram
    Pin39
    495 Shares
    Good Handwashing Starts in the Home: Slow Viruses in Flu Season. little children in bathroom

    (Image source)

    As a surgical RN and as a mom, I have always been a stickler on proper handwashing! Just ask my family!

    Good practice starts in the home. When young.

    [Caveat. It is vital for our children to build resistance by playing outside where they can get DIRTY! Do NOT miss this important stage in building immune strength! Children have what we call “nature-deficit disorder.” And yes, they should know how to clean up afterwards!]

    Six seconds is the average length of time people spend washing their hands, according to research. But this is not long enough to effectively remove bacteria.

     
    “Only 30% of people wash their hands; and of those that do, only 50% do it right!” ~Prof. Christos Nicholaides
     
     

    I want to encourage all parents to teach their children handwashing from a young age!

    Think of the implications of less sickness over a lifetime!
     

    The most important part of hand washing is using soap, according to Dr Curtis, an expert in hygiene and public health in London. ‘As long as you use soap, it’s quite hard to wash your hands badly. It’s sticky, so you have to wash it off – taking the bacteria with it.’

    ‘Soap doesn’t kill bacteria, it gets rid of them,’ she says. ‘This is because one end of the soap molecule attaches to water while the other end attaches to dirt (which is where the bacteria will be).

    ‘So, as you rinse your soap-covered hands, the water strips off the soap, taking the dirt with it.’

    Lathering vigorously with soap enhances the rubbing action which helps dislodge the dirt in the cracks as you wash.
     
    See proper handwashing steps below:
     

    (Source) For more interesting details on this graphic, go here:

     

    And more visual yet is my friend Jaralee Annice Metcalf‘s handwashing experiment with her students to show why it is so important, I was thrilled because the results were disgusting!

    What a great teachable moment it made!

    Handwashing Really Does Matter

    The experiment photos below are so visual and gross you will probably be able to get your kids’ attention with them. And this would be a great home experiment to illuminate just how many germs we carry around on our hands and devices!

    When I asked Jaralee if I could share her handwashing experiment photos here on the blog, she agreed.

    Jaralee, a behavioral specialist, writes: 

    We did a science project in class this last month as flu season was starting.

    We took fresh bread and touched it.

    • We did one slice untouched.
    • One with unwashed hands.
    • One with hand sanitizer.
    • One with washed hands with warm water and soap.
    • Then we decided to rub a piece on all our classroom Chromebooks.
     

    The result: 

    bread with germs

    (Source)

    As a behavioral specialist in a classroom setting who is sick and tired of being sick and tired, I say, “Wash your hands! Remind your kids to wash their hands!

     

    And hand sanitizer is not an alternative to handwashing! Not at all!”

    bread in experiment

    (Source)

    Here are the details we observed:

    • All the students touched each piece (except the control piece)
    • Results took 3-4 weeks because of preservatives
    • It was plain white bread
    • The control piece wasn’t ever touched with naked hands, and it was moved immediately from the bread bag to the ziplock baggie. (every piece is from the same loaf on same day)
    • We used freezer ziplock bags meant for raw meat and they’re sealed tight
     

    We do sanitize our laptops and devices, as well.

    We used just plain soap for handwashing. Not antibacterial!

    We know now that triclosan in antibacterial soaps can increase bacterial resistance to antibiotics.

    classroom experiment Proper Handwashing (& This 1 Other Thing) Lowers Viruses In Flu Season

    (Source) For those that would like to do this handwashing experiment at home, here is the link. 

     

    Follow Five Steps to Wash Your Hands the Right Way

    Washing your hands is easy, and it’s one of the most effective ways to prevent the spread of germs. Clean hands can stop germs from spreading from one person to another and throughout an entire community—from your home and workplace to childcare facilities and hospitals.

    Follow these five steps every time (source):

    1. Wet your hands with clean, running water (warm or cold), turn off the tap, and apply soap.
    2. Lather your hands by rubbing them together with the soap. Lather the backs of your hands, between your fingers, and under your nails.
    3. Scrub your hands for at least 20 seconds. Need a timer? Hum the “Happy Birthday” song from beginning to end twice.
    4. Rinse your hands well under clean, running water.
    5. Dry your hands using a clean towel then turn off the water with a paper towel not touching the faucet handle!
    6. Open any doors using a dry paper towel. A wet paper towel will wick germs to your hands!

    Why? Read the science behind the recommendations.

    Wash Your Hands Often to Stay Healthy

    You can help yourself and your loved ones stay healthy by washing your hands often, especially during these key times when you are likely to get and spread germs:

    • Before, during, and after preparing food
    • Before eating food
    • Before and after caring for someone at home who is sick with vomiting or diarrhea
    • Before and after treating a cut or wound
    • After using the toilet
    • After changing diapers or cleaning up a child who has used the toilet
    • After blowing your nose, coughing, or sneezing
    • After touching an animal, animal feed, or animal waste
    • After handling pet food or pet treats
    • After touching garbage
     

    So whether it’s cold and flu season or not, start young to teach your children to wash their hands! It starts with us modeling it.

    Forget hand sanitizer – It’s not a good alternative to simple handwashing! Triclosan in antibacterial soap increases bacterial resistance to antibiotics. 

    Good Handwashing Starts in the Home: How to Slow Down an Epidemic. children washing
    Print Friendly, PDF & Email
    Share456
    Telegram
    Pin39
    495 Shares
    « Synthetic Fragrances & MCS: Smells That Make Us Sick
    #1 Kid’s Vit Flintstones Contains Red Dye #40, Questionable Ingredients »

    Related

    Hi! I’m Jacqueline!

    Thanks for being part of this journey with me.
    Welcome to my own little place on the internet! Home is where I love to be. I feel there is no greater place to incubate souls. These days you’ll find me using my experiences here to write about herbal remedies and natural health research — a big passion of mine. But being a wife and mother is not easy. It is challenging and potentially lonely. I get that. I wanted to create a place to connect with and support other moms for creating a natural, healthy, and fulfilling home life.
    Join the newsletter:

    Sent in accordance with our Privacy Policy.

    Footer

    About Deep Roots at Home

    What is Deep Roots at Home?
    Jacqueline’s Story
    Article Archives
    Contact
    Stay Updated

    Weekly updates on the topics that matter the most to you!

    Sent in accordance with our Privacy Policy.

    Popular Posts This Week
    • The Wet Socks Treatment Gives A Plethora Of Overnight Benefits
    • Mexican Hot Cocoa With Turmeric, Coconut Oil, Maca & Spices
    • How to Store Eggs at Room Temp in Lime Water for 1 Year or More
    • The Sexual Behavior of Women, Barometer of Cultural Success

    Affiliate Disclosure  •  Medical Disclosure  •  Privacy Policy  •  Cookie Policy

    The information on this website has not been evaluated by the FDA and is not intended to diagnose, treat, prevent, or cure any disease. By accessing or using this website, you agree to abide by the Terms of Service, Full Disclaimer, Privacy Policy, Affiliate Disclosure, and Comment Policy. Content may not be reproduced in any form. Website by Imperative Co.



    © 2006–2023 Deep Roots at Home • All Rights Reserved

    Many people don’t see me on the Deep Roots at Home Facebook page these days due to censorship.

    Come straight to Deeprootsathome.com instead and find out what you’re missing!

    You can even make DRAH your browser homepage.

    Get your free printable guide!

    Fill in your email address to receive the free “5 Easy, Homemade Remedies to Beat Coughs & Colds” printable PDF.

    Get your free printable guide!

    Fill in your email address to receive the free “5 Easy + Healthy Lifestyle Drinks” printable PDF.

    Get your free printable guide!

    Fill in your email address to receive the free “Make Your Own Elderberry Syrup — with Easy Recipes!” printable PDF.

    Subscribe to Email Updates

    By adding your email address below, you agree to receive email updates from Deep Roots at Home. You’ll get 2-6 emails per month with info that we can’t share on social media and important updates. We may send occasional marketing / sales emails.

    Get your free printable guide!

    Fill in your email address to receive the free “Treasured Old Books” printable guide.

    Get the printable ebook!

    Fill in your email address to receive the free “Dyslexia Tips” ebook from Sarah J. Brown.

    Get your free printable guide!

    Fill in your email address to receive the free “Starving Brains & Poor Attention Spans in Boys: 30 Tips for Parents” printable PDF.

    Get your free ebook!

    Fill in your email address to receive the free “Vital Vaccine Info” printable e-book.

    Get your free printable guide!

    Fill in your email address to receive the free “31 Days of Praying Scripture for Newlyweds” printable guide.

    Get the freebie of the season!

    Fill in your email address to receive the free “100 Wholehearted Books to Take Back the Culture” printable guide.

    Praying for newlyweds is perhaps the best gift we can give them! Receive this printable PDF: “31 Days of Praying Scripture for Newlyweds.” 

    Prayers for Husbands

    View our privacy policy.

    The PDF will arrive in your inbox! You’ll also get about 1-2 emails a month (including the seasonal freebies!) and can unsubscribe at any time.

    ¡Nos gustaría mantener en contacto! Y usted recibirá un obsequio importante de la temporada: “Cerebros Ambrientes y Escasa Atención En Los Niños” PDF imprimible.

    Spanish Boys Attention Spans

    Ver nuestra política de privacidad.


    ¡El PDF llegará a su buzón de entrada! ¡Usted recibirá 1 – 2 correos electrónicos al mes (incluyendo los regalos de temporada!) y puede cancelar su suscripción en cualquier momento. 
    We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. If you continue to use this site we will assume that you are happy with it.Ok