Washing your hands is just a common thing that everyone does multiple times throughout the course of a day. You wash them after you use the bathroom or after you get something onto your hands, it happens many times in a lifetime. I was always told growing up to wash my hands in hot water and I always wondered why. I also wondered if there was significant benefits to washing your hands in hot or cold water, what the big difference was.
The FDA talks about how hot water that is comfortable enough to wash your hands in is not nearly hot enough to to kill bacteria that may be on your hands. Although it is more beneficial than cold water because the hot water will remove oils that are on your hands that can carry bacteria. But, there was a meta analysis published in the Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, says otherwise. In this report the scientists referenced the studies that were done starting with the subjects hands being contaminated, and then proceeded to wash their hands with soap and water for 25 seconds with water temperatures that ranged from 40 to 120 degrees fahrenheit, that the water temperatures had no significant effect on reducing bacteria from the subjects hands. So this meta analysis shows there is no significant difference when washing your hands with either hot or cold water.
I looked into the guidelines for the Center for Disease and Control Prevention and the World Health Organization and in both of their guidelines, neither of them talk about the temperature of the water that is used when washing your hands. They both just reference using soap and water and washing your hands vigorously for at least 20 seconds.
Another interesting article that I read talks about that the energy side of washing your hands. This example talks about how hot water isn’t really that important more so the soap and friction. This article though suggests that you should use cold water or cooler water because it save a great deal of energy. Changing to the cold water can benefit the earth and save some money at the same time, meanwhile still getting to job done with cleaning your hands.
I think the big take away from this is just to make sure that you use soap. I think that is important to wash your hands vigorously and as often as you can to prevent as many germs getting on your hands as you can. As long as you use antibacterial soap when you wash your hands you will be killing around the same amount of bacteria, it doesn’t matter what temperature water you choose to wash your hands in.
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/10/13/health/13real.html
Image found at http://www.cdc.gov/handwashing/
Its kind of interrsting how there is no clear preference of what temperature we should use. Growing up, just washing your hands was good enough, then it changes to having to use hot soapy water. I feel that it is never going to be decided because certain bacteria are heat resistant, while other are resistant to cold enviroments.
This post is relevant because it contrasts an idea that most of us have been taught when we were very young, and it is about something that we do multiple times per day. I am personally interested in this post because I did an experiment in fourth grade on this subject, with the conclusion being that hot water is better for getting germs off. My teacher had three students rub olive oil on their hands and cinnamon (to represent the germs) and to make sure they washed their hands for the correct amount of time (thirty seconds) we sang Happy Birthday as a timer. The first student washed his hands with cold water and soap, and we could still see cinnamon on his hands. The second student used hot water but no soap and still had cinnamon as well. Finally, the third student used hot water and soap and had no cinnamon left on her hands. I think about that experiment often as I am washing my hands and would sometimes feel guilty if I used cold water, that I am not completely getting all the ‘cinnamon’ off my hands. It is nice to know I can now use cold water guilt-free, in fact it would be beneficial for the environment. It is very interesting to know that what I have been taught in school is actually not scientifically correct.
What an interesting topic. I know people always told me to wash with warm/hot water but still to this day I can’t bear it. It’s really discomforting to me for some reason. In this article though, this person talks about why they get a “trill” out of washing their hands with boiling hot water. To each is own I suppose.
I found this post particularly interesting because I am constantly washing my hands–I’m a bit of a germaphobe. My mom has always told me to use hot water rather than cold but it shocking to see that it really does not make a significant difference because the water I use is usually just a little warm not scolding hot. Check out these instructions on how to properly and effectively wash your hands: http://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/adult-health/in-depth/hand-washing/art-20046253
I don’t think water temperature and personal hygiene go hand in hand. I do agree with you on using soap wash your hands for approximately 20 seconds. It doesn’t matter if the water is hot or cold, but people prefer using hot water to wash hands. I prefer warm water when taking a shower and washing hands. Overall, interesting blog!
For years, way back since middle school, I always used the hottest water possible often scolding my hands sometimes to clean them. I am allergic to the glycerin used in most hand sanitizes so I relied on washing my hands to the cleanest possible level. I used hot water because I was under the belief using hot water with soap kills all the bacteria, but now I see the temperature within range has no affect. I’m going to switch to cold and see how that feels from now on. Switching it up. Now do certain hand soaps have different ways they kill bacteria? Like difference in washing your hands with foam hand soap vs dish washing concentrated soap?