After how many seconds are your hands really clean?
It is not easy to give an unequivocal answer to this question. Two major health organizations, the World Health Organization and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, even disagree.
35 seconds or longer?
The CDC believes that it takes 35 seconds to thoroughly wash your hands. According to WHO, an extra 7.5 seconds is needed to properly clean your hands. The step-by-step plans also differ slightly from each other.
What is the best method?
According to research among medical personnel, the WHO method removes just a little more bacteria with the extra 7.5 seconds. But actually both methods do what they are supposed to do:they remove harmful bacteria.
Most of us don't work in healthcare, so washing your hands for shorter periods is fine. It is usually assumed to be 30 seconds. That's longer than you think. Don't just wash your hands quickly, but also focus on the spaces between your fingers.
