Is all this hand washing really necessary?

[harllee]

I have been washing my hands so much they are rough and raw. Just today I did a grocery pick up and went to the post office (employee there not wearing a mask--grr) and took trash to the dump. I counted and I have washed my hands 10 times today already, singing the ABCs each time.

From what I read the scientists are thinking that Covid-19 is spread more from breathing in air droplets rather than from touching surfaces. So I wonder if all this hand washing is really necessary?

My hands need help.

 

[Nemo2]

Excessive hand washing depletes your natural resistance and enables a multitude of disgusting diseases to enter your body through your pores.

 

[cathy63]

You can get Covid from surfaces if you touch them during the period when there's a sufficient amount of living virus and then rub your eyes. This seems to be a really rare way of getting it though, since it's hard to get enough virus onto a surface and it doesn't really live that long in non-ideal conditions.

I don't wash my hands more than I used to if I'm just around the house, but I do wash after doing errands or after putting away groceries. Also, hand washing helps prevent things like norovirus, rotavirus and influenza; and I figure if I do get exposed to Covid, I don't want to start with a weakened immune system from some other nasty bug, so best to do everything I can to avoid all the wee baddies that are out there.

My Dad's doctor recommended CeraVe lotion when he was having skin issues related to his diabetes. It's really great stuff, and I've been using it on my hands a couple times a day and so far am not having a problem with chapped or dry skin.

 

[Alectoris]

O'Keefe's Working Hands is your friend.

https://okeeffescompany.com/products/working-hands

 

[Nemo2]

O'Keefe's Working Hands is your friend.

https://okeeffescompany.com/products/working-hands

Love their products!

 

[Midpack]

Wash your hands less? Use hand sanitizer instead some? Use hand lotion for the duration?

I’ve also read your more likely to become infected via respiration than surface contact, so you use some judgement accordingly. We’re conscious of not touching anything in public we can avoid.

 

[audreyh1]

I have been washing my hands so much they are rough and raw. Just today I did a grocery pick up and went to the post office (employee there not wearing a mask--grr) and took trash to the dump. I counted and I have washed my hands 10 times today already, singing the ABCs each time.

From what I read the scientists are thinking that Covid-19 is spread more from breathing in air droplets rather than from touching surfaces. So I wonder if all this hand washing is really necessary?

My hands need help.

I wash my hands a lot when out, so I use a Shea butter hand cream to restore the skin if needed. But I’ve only had a problem wth chapping and dryness from a long road trip and it may be the soap in public bathrooms and hotels.

But I religiously wash hands when cooking/eating or other kitchen duties, bathroom of course, and when returning home, and again after putting things away that I brought home. That doesn’t seem to cause problems although I wash my hands many times during cooking.

I must say that I somehow have learned not to touch my face. Certainly not in public as I wear mask, gloves and safety glasses.

 

[stepford]

I have a pair of loose reusable rubber gloves I wear for typical household actions that might otherwise require hand washing. They're pretty easy to put on and take off without touching the outer surface - thus no need to wash. I don't go out a lot these days, but when I do I typically carry a pair or two of disposable gloves for this purpose.

 

[Sojourner]

A article published just today in The Atlantic discusses this in some depth:
https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2020/07/scourge-hygiene-theater/614599/

From the article:

In May, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention updated its guidelines to clarify that while COVID-19 spreads easily among speakers and sneezers in close encounters, touching a surface “isn’t thought to be the main way the virus spreads.” Other scientists have reached a more forceful conclusion. “Surface transmission of COVID-19 is not justified at all by the science,” Emanuel Goldman, a microbiology professor at Rutgers New Jersey Medical School, told me. He also emphasized the primacy of airborne person-to-person transmission.

I'm still washing my hands a lot (as a long-standing germophobe, I always have), but I'm not quite as worried about fomite transmission as I was a few months ago.

 

[Katsmeow]

Is going out less often an option? I would definitely wash my hands often in the situation you talk about. I wash my hands anytime I touch something that wasn't already here at the house. So if I get the mail (or open it) I wash my hands. Open an Amazon box. Wash my hands. Get takeout food, wash my hands. But, most of these I don't do that often. We get takeout food twice a week usually. Most mail is junk or non-critical so I let several days stack up, open it all and then wash hands once. We go to pickup on average about once a week. But, for example, I didn't touch anything that required hand washing yesterday (well, just the "normal" every day hand washing). Today, none as well.

So, if possible I would say to try to lessen the situations you need to wash hands and see if you can consolidate some things (like with me opening 3 days worth of mail at once).

 

[harllee]

All good suggestions, thank you. Today was an unusual day when I had 3 things that caused much hand washing--grocery pick up, post office and gas. Most days I go no where. DH is much higher risk than I am ( older and autoimmune disease) so I do everything for us that requires outside contact. I will look into some of the hand cremes mentioned.

 

[Winemaker]

I have never purchased a hand sanitizer and at this time, I don't plan on buying one in future. When I come home from anywhere, I wash my hands with the hose and bucket outside, and dry them with the towel I put there for it's purpose. Since 1991, it's worked pretty good.

 

[Chuckanut]

It's become rather obvious to me that the three things we can do to defend ourselves are:

wash hands frequently
social distance
meetup with people in small groups preferably outside
limit shopping trips and other places where we come near strangers and when we can't do that wear a mask and get in and get out quickly.

 

[tmm99]

My hands (fingers mostly) get chapped very easily, and if I wash my hands frequently, handle Lysol wipes, hand sanitizers, alcohol, etc, I get tiny cuts all over my fingers after awhile. My solution is to wear gloves.

I've been going through tons of disposable gloves since the pandemic started. I go grocery shopping with gloves on and clean them with hand sanitizers (without taking them off) before getting back back in my car. I usually take the gloves off at that point and throw them into the bag I keep on the passenger seat. When I get home, I put on another pair of disposable gloves and I bring the groceries inside and use a Lysol wipe to wipe down packages and again, clean the gloves with a hand sanitizer (without taking them off) and then take them off. I put long rubber gloves on (the kind you use to clean the toilet, etc) to wash the produce etc.
Whenever I get an Amazon delivery at home, I basically go through the same kind of routine (Put gloves on, get the Amazon package from the front porch, open the package, wipe the content with a Lysol wipe, wipe the door handles with the same wipe and take my gloves off.)

I do wash my hands after going to the bathroom, etc, as before. Sometimes, I keep the gloves (although they are considered disposable) for second use after washing them. I also wear disposable gloves when I handle raw chicken in the kitchen. If I feel I will need to wash my hands multiple times while cooking, I put disposable gloves on. But I've always done that even before the pandemic.

 

[statsman]

I used to have this problem often, typically during the Winter months. For the last 35+ years, I have been the sole scooper of 3-5 litter boxes, plus been the primary cook for the family. Hand washing was mandatory and constant for me. Still is, even without the COVID-19 impact.

For the past 14 months in our new house, I haven't had this problem. Only difference, other than move from California (Silicon Valley) to Central Texas is we had a water softener installed in our new house. The tap water here is hard because of the limestone, but unlike back in California, it doesn't smell like excessive chlorine.

I am definitely a fan of softened water, or at least my hands are.

 

[Sunset]

I use the blue disposable gloves, but after getting the mail, I peel off the one glove I used (I'm talented and use 1 hand to get the mail) and set it aside to dry and let the virus on it die.

I just rotate the gloves, I haven't needed to buy more gloves as each lasts a long time this way.

Maybe for the next virus, we will have to brush out teeth, now that we've learned hand washing

 

[Midpack]

I use the blue disposable gloves, but after getting the mail, I peel off the one glove I used (I'm talented and use 1 hand to get the mail) and set it aside to dry and let the virus on it die.

I just rotate the gloves, I haven't needed to buy more gloves as each lasts a long time this way.

How long does that take?

 

[JoeWras]

Maybe not all of it is necessary, but some is still a good habit. It also helps in protecting you against other pathogens (other viruses, bacteria, chemical exposure, etc.)

But to think... wow, what a 180 from the advice of mid March.

 

[harllee]

I have never purchased a hand sanitizer and at this time, I don't plan on buying one in future. When I come home from anywhere, I wash my hands with the hose and bucket outside, and dry them with the towel I put there for it's purpose. Since 1991, it's worked pretty good.

I use a lot of hand sanitizer (but it is hard to find). I use it when I cannot get home to wash my hands right away. For example, after pumping gas. I use gloves or a paper towel when pumping the gas and then after disposing of the gloves or paper towel I use a generous dose of hand sanitizer. That's probably another reason my hands are so dry.

Winemaker, What do you do to clean your hands in a situation when you can't get home to wash them? Also, what do you do about hot water in your hose and bucket method? What do you do in cold weather?

 

[Winemaker]

Winemaker, What do you do to clean your hands in a situation when you can't get home to wash them? Also, what do you do about hot water in your hose and bucket method? What do you do in cold weather?

If I go to one of my rentals to preform w*rk, I wash my hands before I leave. If I go to a store or two, I do nothing. When I go to mom's, I wash my hands there. If I attend a sporting event (when I used to), I go to the men's room before I leave and there. When I get home, I'll either use the hose and bucket at the back of the house, or my bucket of rinse water in the garage. It is not hot water.

My rinse water accumulates after I clean/sanitize/rinse my wine glassware. I don't use soap for my wine stuff, but a cleaner like PBW, an alkaline cleaner that removes grape stains,and residue. When done with my cleaning, I rinse, and save the water.

I w*rked in a coal mine and wore gloves most of the time, but my hands were always dirty. There is no wash sink underground, but cleaners like Go Jo at the tool cart. After my shift, I did my required paperwork, computer work, then took a shower before I left for home. I don't mind dirty hands, but I can't stand sticky hands (from sweet grape or juice).

 

[jollystomper]

My approach is to consider the environments that I transition from. For example, returning home I will wash my hands. But in doing errands around the house, I will not continually wash my hands (I tend to were gloves when I am doing repairs/improvements so that helps). When golfing I won't wash my hands until after the round. I use my gloved hand as much as possible.

If I am out am make multiple stops, I will use hand sanitizer, but only if I touch something at that stop. For example, if I bring stuff to our local recycling drop-off, I am not touching anything that has not come from my home. So I do not see the need to wash my hands after that. I do carry around hand sanitizers in our cars, but do not go crazy and use lots of it each time. I do not think you need tons of it for it to be effective.

I am less concerned about the mail and packages these days. I do not bring in things right away. In truth I may rinse or wash my hands briefly. I see a lot more research indicating the difficulty of getting infected from touching these things. Only if I observe the carrier doing something will I was my hands thoroughly.

 

[CRLLS]

To my knowledge, there has been no known transition via surface contact, in spite of all the warnings about how long the virus can survive on various surfaces. If anyone has links to documented cases please post them for me.

I am not saying washing our hands, or even commercial cleaning regimes are not good things to do. It would appear that the normal transmission other viruses is not holding true for this one. Maybe the lack of data is because we are washing and cleaning so diligently? I honestly don't know.

 

[kaneohe]

I use a lot of hand sanitizer (but it is hard to find). I use it when I cannot get home to wash my hands right away. For example, after pumping gas. I use gloves or a paper towel when pumping the gas and then after disposing of the gloves or paper towel I use a generous dose of hand sanitizer. That's probably another reason my hands are so dry.

......................................................

If you wear gloves while pumping gas, why do you have to sanitize after removing the gloves? Can't you remove the gloves (turn inside out) w/o touching the bad parts?

 

[MichaelB]

To my knowledge, there has been no known transition via surface contact, in spite of all the warnings about how long the virus can survive on various surfaces. If anyone has links to documented cases please post them for me.

I am not saying washing our hands, or even commercial cleaning regimes are not good things to do. It would appear that the normal transmission other viruses is not holding true for this one. Maybe the lack of data is because we are washing and cleaning so diligently? I honestly don't know.

Absence of evidence is not evidence of absence. I think there’s little hard research on how individuals were infected, just lots of observations. Current thinking seems to believe in a low likelihood of infection from surface contamination. Still, there is clear evidence of surface contamination, so the possibility exists.

 

[sengsational]

Loosened Fomite Protocol

I'm not quite as strict on secondary fomite transmission. For instance, I'll open an Amazon box, remove the contents, then wash, as opposed to open, wash, remove contents, dispose box, wash.


Still aging the mail because it's pretty much effortless now that we're used to it (the top box is emptied, gets today's mail, and becomes the bottom box).