handwashing

16 Stories

At State Hearing on Racism, an Allegedly Racist Remark

Ohio Sen. Steve Huffman asked if 'colored' people were doing a good job at hand-washing

(Newser) - An Ohio state senator is accused of showcasing systemic racism in a hearing to determine whether racism should be declared a public health crisis. State GOP Sen. Steve Huffman, an emergency room doctor on the Senate Health Committee, was questioning Ohio Commission on Minority Health chief Angela Dawson on Tuesday...

Need a 'Wonderful' Distraction During the Pandemic? Here It Is

Competitors invited to invent gadget that gets soap to your germy hands in 10 to 20 steps

(Newser) - We've been told to scrub our hands for a full 20 seconds to protect ourselves from the coronavirus. But can you think of a way to make the hand-scrubbing process even longer? That's the gist of the Rube Goldberg "Bar of Soap" challenge , promoted by none other...

Apple Debuts Screening App for COVID-19

Website also assesses users' answers and offers information

(Newser) - You can now ask Apple your coronavirus questions. A website and a free app that launched Friday provide general information about the disease and a COVID-19 screening tool that can lead the user to next steps, the Verge reports. It asks about possible contact with infected people, travel and symptoms,...

Celebrities Are Releasing Amusing, Weird Virus PSAs

Arnold and his tiny animals, Mel and his son urge you to stay home

(Newser) - Amid widespread calls to practice social distancing in an attempt to slow the spread of the coronavirus that causes COVID-19, celebrities are starting to get in on the movement. Among the video PSAs that have come out is one from Arnold Schwarzenegger, who, along with his miniature horse and his...

KFC's Latest Ad Campaign Is Victim of Very Bad Timing

Fast-food chain pulls its 'Finger Lickin' Good' series amid coronavirus pandemic

(Newser) - One of the first lines of defense against the novel coronavirus is hand-washing , which doesn't bode well for KFC's latest ad campaign. The Drum reports that upward of 160 complaints have been registered with the UK's Advertising Standards Authority over the fast-food chain's recently launched series...

Memo to People Hunting Sanitizer: Soap Is Better
Memo to People Hunting
Sanitizer: Soap Is Better
the rundown
Mar 12, 2020 10:55 AM CDT

Memo to People Hunting Sanitizer: Soap Is Better

It functions like a 'demolition team' against the coronavirus, explains scientist

(Newser) - The coronavirus has people freaking out about toilet paper , which may seem a little odd. It's a little easier to understand the run on hand sanitizers, which are now hard to find on store shelves. But the CDC and others are emphasizing a key point: Hand-washing with ordinary soap...

Scientists Pinpoint a Simple Way to Help Us Start Anew

Handwashing

(Newser) - Looking for an easy way to clear your mind and refocus? Scientists say they've found a simple activity we should all be doing daily anyway that will help get us there: clean your hands. Researchers at the University of Toronto call it "reorienting one's priorities," and...

You Can Cut Hand-Washing Time in Half
You Can Cut
Hand-Washing
Time in Half
NEW STUDY
Jun 1, 2017 10:00 AM CDT

You Can Cut Hand-Washing Time in Half

10 seconds appears to do the trick: Rutgers study

(Newser) - You don't need to risk scalding yourself in order to get clean hands. According to researchers, washing your hands in cold water is just as effective at reducing bacteria as washing your hands in hot water. That's based on a small study of 21 people described in the...

Sorry, Hand-Washing Takes More Effort Than You Think

 There's a Better Way 
 to Wash Your Hands 
NEW STUDY
Apr 13, 2016 7:13 AM CDT

There's a Better Way to Wash Your Hands

Best technique to reduce bacteria involves 6 steps: study

(Newser) - You do it several times a day: You grab some soap, rub your hands together for 20 seconds or so, then rinse. Yet if you're aiming to get rid of as much bacteria as possible, you've been washing your hands all wrong. After observing the hand-washing techniques of...

Antibacterial Soap No Better Than Plain Soap
Antibacterial Soap
No Better Than Plain Soap
study says
Sep 17, 2015 11:59 AM CDT

Antibacterial Soap No Better Than Plain Soap

Unless you've got 9 hours to spare

(Newser) - People who shell out extra money for antibacterial soap might want to spend it on something else. Scientists have found that it's not any better than regular soap in killing bacteria, they report in the Journal of Antimicrobial Chemotherapy . The news comes out of South Korea, where researchers examined...

Study Suggests You Give Up the Dishwasher
 Study Suggests You 
 Give Up the Dishwasher 
in case you missed it
Feb 28, 2015 7:00 AM CST

Study Suggests You Give Up the Dishwasher

Kids in homes where dishes are hand-washed have lower allergy rates

(Newser) - You may think you're keeping your family healthy by sanitizing every dishload in a leave-no-bacteria-behind dishwasher, but a new study suggests good old-fashioned hand-washing may lessen kids' chances of developing allergies, the New York Times reports. As per a study published in Pediatrics, scientists studied more than 1,000...

Boost Your Optimism: Wash Your Hands

Trouble is, you might also lose your drive, study says

(Newser) - Feeling dejected? You might want to turn on the sink. Washing your hands, a study suggests, can be emotionally cleansing: It may help us feel more optimistic after a failure. Researchers assigned an "impossible task" to two groups of people; they failed, of course. Then, scientists told one group...

Study Uncovers Gross Hand-Washing Stat

 Study Uncovers Gross 
 Hand-Washing Stat 
in case you missed it
Jun 15, 2013 7:00 PM CDT

Study Uncovers Gross Hand-Washing Stat

19 out of 20 of us are doing it wrong

(Newser) - Warning: After reading this, you may never want to shake hands again. Following a trip to the toilet, some 95% of people don't wash their hands properly—meaning long enough actually eliminate bacteria, a study finds. Some commit worse hygiene sins: a third don't use soap, and a...

96% Say You Wash Hands; Only 85% Actually Do

11% of adults are dirty liars about hand-washing

(Newser) - The good news: 96% of adults claim they always wash their hands in public restrooms, according to a phone survey. The bad news: only 85% of adults actually do, a new observational study finds. Despite the dirty people who are lying about their hygiene habits (and, perhaps, sharing a bread...

UK Petting Zoos Skittish After E. Coli Outbreak

57 hit by illness at animal farms open to kids

(Newser) - British officials are considering cracking down on petting zoos after 10 children were hospitalized with E. coli contracted from touching animals, reports the Telegraph. Parents were urged yesterday to "think very hard"  about taking young children to petting zoos. Four petting zoos have been shut following the E....

Americans Neglect to Wash Their Hands

Only 77% soap up in public restrooms; Ewwwwww, say experts

(Newser) - Americans are forgetting to wash their hands. A new study shows that only 77% of people wash their hands after using public restrooms—that's down 6% from two years ago. And notably, 92% of Americans SAY they do. Unsurprisingly, men are the big offenders: their number was 66%. "Very...

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