SOAP and water are two things you need to wash your hands. Since in the middle of the 18th century hand washing has been considered crucial before any standard medical procedure. In our world today washing is important in our daily routine not only when our hands are visibly dirty, but also
[ihc-hide-content ihc_mb_type=”show” ihc_mb_who=”2,3,5″ ihc_mb_template=”1″ ]after using the toilet and prior to touching food. Hand washing is considered as one of the effective measures to prevent infectious diseases from spreading. Washing your hand with soap for about 20 seconds under running water not is only able to kill the microbes residing in your hands, it can also get rid of the microbes that couldn’t be killed. If counting to twenty sounds boring to you, you can try the method of singing Happy Birthday song twice to indicate how long you should wash your hands. Microbes can cling to our hands due to the oil or sebum on our skin. The oil exists to maintain the pH of our skin which is slightly acidic.
Soap molecules consist of a long chain of carbon and hydrogen with one end being hydrophobic (does not like water, and will cling to the oil instead) and the other end hydrophilic (will cling to the water). As the hydrophobic end of soap molecules takes up the oil, it’ll also bring along the microbes that are attached to the oil. The hydrophilic end on the other side will push the oil towards the water so it can be washed away. There are many hand washing procedures that vary slightly from one another. But it is all for the same goal, to get rid of the germs on your hands. Do not touch your face with unwashed hands and wash your hands every few hours.
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