Today, May 5, is International Hand Hygiene Day. In honour of today, we’re sharing some cool facts about how hand washing can prevent the spread of viruses!
You’ve heard it over and over again – washing your hands is the best way to prevent the spread of COVID-19. But have you ever wondered just why that is?
It turns out that soap, just plain old regular soap, is the key.
When you look at the chemical makeup of soap, each soap molecule has 2 sides – a water side, and a fat side. The fat side of soap sticks to the virus and breaks up the parts of the virus that contain fat (also called lipids). When the lipids break up, the virus falls apart and becomes inactive. Then, when you rinse your hands under water, the virus gets washed down the drain along with the soap.
But make sure you’re washing your hands well. Viruses like to stick to you and get stuck in tiny crinkles in your skin. The soap is useless if it doesn’t touch the virus. That’s why it’s recommended that you wash your hands for at least 20 seconds.
Here’s a reminder on the hand washing technique from the World Health Organization.
Happy Hand Hygiene Day!