Michigan State University researchers camped out in public restrooms, and discovered that only 5 percent of people properly washed their hands long enough to kill germs. The 12 researchers observed 3700 people.
What’s really creepy is the idea of researchers hanging out in public restrooms, watching what we do.
A few observations from their preying eyes:
- 10% skipped handwashing entirely (15% of men, 7% of women).
- Only 50% of men and 79% of women used soap.
- The average time spent washing hands: 6 seconds.
FYI, here’s the “proper” way to wash your hands, according to the study.
- Wet your hands with clean, running water and apply soap.
- Rub your hands together to make a lather while scrubbing well.
- Make sure you get the backs of your hands, between the fingers, and under the nails. Keep this up for 20 seconds.
- Rinse under running water.
- Dry with a clean towel or air dryer.
- Then grasp the bacteria-infested doorknob and leave the restroom. (Okay, I added that last one.)
