Welcome to brain Stuff production of I Heart Radio. Hey brain Stuff, Lauren Vogelbaum here. This episode is part of the miniseries we're doing on some health and safety topics surrounding the novel type of coronavirus identified in which causes what is therefore being called COVID nineteen. Because everything is a little less scary when you understand it better. So you're probably aware that with the novel coronavirus outbreak, hand sanitizer has gotten very hard to find. However, soap seems
to still be in good supply. This is a little counterintuitive given that to keep yourself safe from this virus, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends hand washing first and using hand sanitizer only as a backup if you don't have access to running water. We spoke with Dr Greg Poland, a representative for the Infectious Diseases Society of America and professor of Medicine and Infectious Diseases at
the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota. He said proper hand washing is the safest, most efficacious, least expensive, and readily available method to prevent disease. So why would plain old soap and water be more effective against germs than an alcohol based hand sanitizer. Poland explained, when you're physically washing
your hands, you're doing three things. You're removing visible dirt and mucus, you're using a soap that decreases surface tension, and your physically by friction loosening, removing and washing away whatever is on your hand. This includes germs that you can't see, and is perhaps particularly effective at stopping the spread of some germs like coronavirus. Is because the outer casing of these germs is made up of lipids, which
are fats. Just as soap can wedge itself down between particles of grease on a dirty pan and help break it up, molecules of soap can elbow into that lipid envelope around a microbe and break it apart, thus rendering the microbe unable to attack and infect cells. Studies have shown that soap and water is more effective than hand sanitizer at removing certain viruses in bacteria that attack the
intestines and respiratory tract. Coronavirus is included, and hand washing is especially effective for very dirty hands, such as those you get from gardening, playing sports, or wiping the running nose with the back of your hand. Poland said, if your hands are visibly soiled, hand sanitizer can't get to all the skin surfaces, and if your hands have mucus on them, hand sanitizer cannot penetrate. Remember, if you have the flu for example, influenza viruses will be present in
your mucus. Several studies have shown that hand washing got rid of the flu virus from hands much faster than hand sanitizer diad. Okay, so we've gone over why hand washing trump's hand sanitizing. But in order for hand washing to work, you have to do it properly. You've probably seen a billion memes this week about how to do it,
but let's review the steps for everyone's sake. There are a whole bunch of times that people should be washing their hands, but probably the most important are before you prepare or eat food, after using the bathroom, and before you touch your face. Here's the protocol according to the CDC. First, wet hands with clean running water. Warm more cold will do. Then turn off the tap and apply soap. Lather your hands by rubbing them together with the soap. Any soap
will work. It doesn't have to be antibacterial, and remember antibacterial soap won't help keep you safer from viruses than regular soap because they're different credits. As you lather in rub, make sure to get all the parts of your hands the backs, palms, between the fingers and under finger nails. Start at your fingertips and work backward. Rub your hands for at least twenty seconds. You can hum or sing Happy Birthday twice or some other ditty if counting doesn't
do it for you. The five seconds that most people take to wash their hands doesn't get as many microbes off. Afterwards, rinse your hands well under running water and dry them using a clean towel or with an air dryer. If you're in a public restroom, it helps to use a paper towel to turn the faucet off and to open the bathroom door. A lot of publicity has gone into educating people that they're not washing for long enough, but many are also missing the mark by not thoroughly rubbing
all parts of the hand. Poland said, think of how we transfer viruses, bacteria, et cetera into our body. It's with the area of the hand that nobody washes properly. That is the fingertips. People wash the palm, they wash the back of their hand, They wash the bottom third of the fingers. But have you ever seen someone wash fingernails or tips? So the next time you're washing up, make a point to pay extra attention to these often
neglected appendages. There will be times, though, when hand sanitizer just makes more sense than hand washing. Let's say you were in the bathroom at your office. Followed all the steps we outlined above, so now you have perfectly clean hands. But wait, you need to open the door that leads from the hallway where the bathroom is back to your office. Dozens of people are opening and closing that door all day.
Applying a dollop of hand sanitizer might be easier than washing your hands again, so here's the correct way to do that. First, make sure you're applying enough. About a quarter to a half dollar sized amount of hand sanitizer is necessary. Rub it over all the parts of your hand, starting from the finger tips and working your way back to disinfect, and don't forget in between your fingers. Poland
said keep doing that until it's dry. That way, you know you've had enough exposure time for that disinfectant to kill. Resist the urge to wipe your hands on a paper towel or your pants to speed up the drying process. Since hand sanitizer and washing can be very drying, you might want to keep some hand lotion or cream or by to apply once your hands are dry. And just
one more thing. Dr Poland has fielded questions from people who asked about using disinfecting wipes like those made by Chlorox or lysol on their skin as an added layer of protection. He strongly advises people against this quote. Do not wipe your face with chlorox wipes, do not clean your nose with it, and do not suck on it. It does not help, it will harm you, and it hurts. It offers no benefit. Today's episode was written by Ali A.
Hoyt and produced by Tyler Klang. For more on this and lots of other topics, visit how stuff works dot com. Brain Stuff is production of I Heart Radio. For more podcasts from my heart Radio, visit the heart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to your favorite shows.