Importance of Hand-Washing in Flu Season

Hand Washing to Prevent Sickness

Want to avoid colds and flu this season? One sure way to help the effort is to wash your hands frequently. And just 10 seconds may do the trick.

Researchers at the University of North Carolina tested 14 different hygiene products among a group of more than 60 volunteers.

These two results stood out:

1) Most people take about 30 seconds to wash their hands, while most health care workers only wash for 10 seconds. Turns out, 10 seconds is all you need to scrub away hepatitis A, the virus that causes the common cold, and other bugs.

2) Waterless, alcohol-based products, which are touted to kill bacteria, didn’t perform well in this trial. In fact, they were less effective after multiple uses.

You can’t beat this age-old formula: Soap + water + 10 seconds = clean.