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Good Effects of Washing Hands

Keeping your hands clean is an effective way to prevent some illnesses and the spread of disease. Wash your hands throughout the day, especially before and after handling food, after using the toilet, after cleaning the bathroom, after handling any contaminated items like soiled linens, and after drinking or smoking. If you aren't able to wash your hands, use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer to get rid of germs.

  1. Personal Health

    • Washing your hands can benefit your personal health. Many pathogens, like the common cold and flu, are passed on objects your hands come into contact with --- and your hands come in contact with surfaces more than any other body part. Not only can you prevent common illnesses, but you also can stop the spread of infections. For example, if you have a herpes infection in one part of your body, you can pass it to any other area if you don't wash your hands in between contact. Herpes most often lives in body parts like the genitalia, mouth and eyes. Yeast is another infection that can spread from one body part to another. Women who have yeast infections and are breastfeeding are more likely to develop yeast on their nipples and pass it to their infant.

      People who have a compromised immune system, such as individuals with HIV, are more susceptible to infections, and hand-washing is even more important for them.

    Prevent the Spread of Infection

    • According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, "Good hand hygiene is one of the most critical control strategies in outbreak management." Health professionals and individuals should wash their hands frequently, not only for their own health, but to prevent an outbreak of diseases that are passed by skin-to-skin contact. The spread of disease can also be controlled through hand-washing. Outbreaks can range from H1N1 to acute gastroenteritis.

    Cleanliness

    • Your health and the health of others are the key reasons to keep your hands clean. But by washing your hands regularly you often benefit from keeping yourself and your personal items clean. Some dirt may be obvious because you can visibly see it on your hands. This dirt will easily show up on your linens and other surfaces and it makes sense to wash it off. However, some dirt will live on your hands and everything you touch will be contaminated with it. For example, if you touch raw meat or a wound you will put the bacteria from those surfaces around your house. The bacteria will spread and multiple and will be spread onto your hands the next time you touch it. This can create a cycle that is difficult to control.

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