The Germy Truth

Everyday I wash my hands at least a dozen times. My definition of “wash” includes soap, lots of water and the furious rubbing of palms.

The habit can’t be avoided, as I parallel Adrian Monk with my obsessive avoidance of germs.

Germs coat door handles, buttons on ATM machines, handrails, gas pumps, pets, money, desktops formerly occupied by runny-nosed kids, papers you retrieve from the floor and chairs used as footstools.

Just thinking about it is gross, but more disquieting is the number of people who really don’t care.

For instance, on more than one occasion I’ve observed girls exit bathroom stalls, fix their hair, adjust their tops and apply lip balm, all before splashing a drop of water on their fingertips to ensure they’re clean. In this interval I haven’t even finished washing my own hands.

One out of three people don’t wash their hands after using the restroom, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Web site. You grubby people know who you are.

On the other hand, there exists those kindred spirits who push open the bathroom door with their foot or consistently use hand sanitizer. And I salute you.

“You need to wash your hands anytime after using the bathroom, before you eat, if you sneeze or cough, if you touch someone,” said Kathy Bentley, a registered nurse at University Health Center.

“Basically your hands should be under water all the time,” she added jokingly.

She said soap is a must and the water should run for at least 30 seconds.

Why this phobia of germs? Simply because they–– bacteria, viruses, parasites and fungi— can make you ill or kill you. Preventive measures decrease your chances of catching anything from the flu to deadly meningitis, the CDC Web site stated.

Keep in mind that merely acquiring germs on one’s hands isn’t going to make a body sick. The germs have to find an inlet into your body, such as through cuts or mucus membranes.

That’s right, rubbing your eyes, nose or mouth introduces germs into your system.

Circumstances exist in which washing one’s hands isn’t possible. In fact, you might run the risk of picking up more germs going into the public restroom. This is when you pull out your convenient bottle of hand sanitizer.

Bentley warns not to become too dependent on hand sanitizer. “Antibacterial hand sanitizers don’t replace hand washing,” she said. “You still have to wash away the dirt and fluids, but if you can’t get to a faucet, then use it.”

Clean hands will keep you healthier, I haven’t been sick, well since I can remember. But don’t just wash up for your own sake, do it for the sake of everyone you come in contact with.

If everyone grew consciously cleaner I wouldn’t cringe after someone returns a borrowed pen, nor would I feel compelled to throw it away!

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