1 00:00:01,920 --> 00:00:06,520 Speaker 1: Welcome to brain Stuff production of I Heart Radio. Hey 2 00:00:06,559 --> 00:00:10,240 Speaker 1: brain Stuff, Lauren Vogelbaum here. This episode is part of 3 00:00:10,240 --> 00:00:13,240 Speaker 1: the miniseries we're doing on some health and safety topics 4 00:00:13,280 --> 00:00:17,439 Speaker 1: surrounding the novel type of coronavirus identified in which causes 5 00:00:17,480 --> 00:00:22,040 Speaker 1: what is therefore being called COVID nineteen. Because everything is 6 00:00:22,040 --> 00:00:25,960 Speaker 1: a little less scary when you understand it better. So 7 00:00:26,280 --> 00:00:30,080 Speaker 1: you're probably aware that with the novel coronavirus outbreak, hand 8 00:00:30,120 --> 00:00:34,600 Speaker 1: sanitizer has gotten very hard to find. However, soap seems 9 00:00:34,640 --> 00:00:38,120 Speaker 1: to still be in good supply. This is a little 10 00:00:38,120 --> 00:00:41,519 Speaker 1: counterintuitive given that to keep yourself safe from this virus, 11 00:00:41,720 --> 00:00:45,240 Speaker 1: the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends hand washing 12 00:00:45,360 --> 00:00:48,639 Speaker 1: first and using hand sanitizer only as a backup if 13 00:00:48,680 --> 00:00:52,600 Speaker 1: you don't have access to running water. We spoke with 14 00:00:52,800 --> 00:00:56,360 Speaker 1: Dr Greg Poland, a representative for the Infectious Diseases Society 15 00:00:56,360 --> 00:00:59,440 Speaker 1: of America and professor of Medicine and Infectious Diseases at 16 00:00:59,440 --> 00:01:04,080 Speaker 1: the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota. He said proper hand 17 00:01:04,160 --> 00:01:08,240 Speaker 1: washing is the safest, most efficacious, least expensive, and readily 18 00:01:08,280 --> 00:01:13,720 Speaker 1: available method to prevent disease. So why would plain old 19 00:01:13,760 --> 00:01:16,280 Speaker 1: soap and water be more effective against germs than an 20 00:01:16,360 --> 00:01:21,679 Speaker 1: alcohol based hand sanitizer. Poland explained, when you're physically washing 21 00:01:21,680 --> 00:01:25,440 Speaker 1: your hands, you're doing three things. You're removing visible dirt 22 00:01:25,480 --> 00:01:29,200 Speaker 1: and mucus, you're using a soap that decreases surface tension, 23 00:01:29,440 --> 00:01:33,440 Speaker 1: and your physically by friction loosening, removing and washing away 24 00:01:33,760 --> 00:01:37,520 Speaker 1: whatever is on your hand. This includes germs that you 25 00:01:37,560 --> 00:01:41,120 Speaker 1: can't see, and is perhaps particularly effective at stopping the 26 00:01:41,160 --> 00:01:44,960 Speaker 1: spread of some germs like coronavirus. Is because the outer 27 00:01:45,040 --> 00:01:48,120 Speaker 1: casing of these germs is made up of lipids, which 28 00:01:48,160 --> 00:01:52,160 Speaker 1: are fats. Just as soap can wedge itself down between 29 00:01:52,200 --> 00:01:54,480 Speaker 1: particles of grease on a dirty pan and help break 30 00:01:54,520 --> 00:01:58,000 Speaker 1: it up, molecules of soap can elbow into that lipid 31 00:01:58,160 --> 00:02:02,280 Speaker 1: envelope around a microbe and break it apart, thus rendering 32 00:02:02,320 --> 00:02:07,040 Speaker 1: the microbe unable to attack and infect cells. Studies have 33 00:02:07,120 --> 00:02:09,600 Speaker 1: shown that soap and water is more effective than hand 34 00:02:09,639 --> 00:02:13,120 Speaker 1: sanitizer at removing certain viruses in bacteria that attack the 35 00:02:13,120 --> 00:02:18,760 Speaker 1: intestines and respiratory tract. Coronavirus is included, and hand washing 36 00:02:18,840 --> 00:02:21,919 Speaker 1: is especially effective for very dirty hands, such as those 37 00:02:21,960 --> 00:02:25,280 Speaker 1: you get from gardening, playing sports, or wiping the running 38 00:02:25,280 --> 00:02:28,280 Speaker 1: nose with the back of your hand. Poland said, if 39 00:02:28,280 --> 00:02:31,760 Speaker 1: your hands are visibly soiled, hand sanitizer can't get to 40 00:02:31,800 --> 00:02:35,080 Speaker 1: all the skin surfaces, and if your hands have mucus 41 00:02:35,120 --> 00:02:40,200 Speaker 1: on them, hand sanitizer cannot penetrate. Remember, if you have 42 00:02:40,360 --> 00:02:43,840 Speaker 1: the flu for example, influenza viruses will be present in 43 00:02:43,880 --> 00:02:47,360 Speaker 1: your mucus. Several studies have shown that hand washing got 44 00:02:47,440 --> 00:02:50,000 Speaker 1: rid of the flu virus from hands much faster than 45 00:02:50,040 --> 00:02:54,840 Speaker 1: hand sanitizer diad. Okay, so we've gone over why hand 46 00:02:54,880 --> 00:02:58,600 Speaker 1: washing trump's hand sanitizing. But in order for hand washing 47 00:02:58,639 --> 00:03:01,720 Speaker 1: to work, you have to do it properly. You've probably 48 00:03:01,720 --> 00:03:04,000 Speaker 1: seen a billion memes this week about how to do it, 49 00:03:04,040 --> 00:03:07,600 Speaker 1: but let's review the steps for everyone's sake. There are 50 00:03:07,639 --> 00:03:09,800 Speaker 1: a whole bunch of times that people should be washing 51 00:03:09,840 --> 00:03:12,960 Speaker 1: their hands, but probably the most important are before you 52 00:03:13,000 --> 00:03:17,160 Speaker 1: prepare or eat food, after using the bathroom, and before 53 00:03:17,440 --> 00:03:23,079 Speaker 1: you touch your face. Here's the protocol according to the CDC. First, 54 00:03:23,280 --> 00:03:26,640 Speaker 1: wet hands with clean running water. Warm more cold will do. 55 00:03:27,280 --> 00:03:30,760 Speaker 1: Then turn off the tap and apply soap. Lather your 56 00:03:30,760 --> 00:03:33,400 Speaker 1: hands by rubbing them together with the soap. Any soap 57 00:03:33,400 --> 00:03:36,240 Speaker 1: will work. It doesn't have to be antibacterial, and remember 58 00:03:36,320 --> 00:03:40,160 Speaker 1: antibacterial soap won't help keep you safer from viruses than 59 00:03:40,280 --> 00:03:44,720 Speaker 1: regular soap because they're different credits. As you lather in rub, 60 00:03:44,840 --> 00:03:47,040 Speaker 1: make sure to get all the parts of your hands 61 00:03:47,080 --> 00:03:50,480 Speaker 1: the backs, palms, between the fingers and under finger nails. 62 00:03:50,960 --> 00:03:54,880 Speaker 1: Start at your fingertips and work backward. Rub your hands 63 00:03:54,880 --> 00:03:57,360 Speaker 1: for at least twenty seconds. You can hum or sing 64 00:03:57,600 --> 00:04:00,680 Speaker 1: Happy Birthday twice or some other ditty if counting doesn't 65 00:04:00,680 --> 00:04:03,200 Speaker 1: do it for you. The five seconds that most people 66 00:04:03,240 --> 00:04:07,520 Speaker 1: take to wash their hands doesn't get as many microbes off. Afterwards, 67 00:04:07,600 --> 00:04:10,280 Speaker 1: rinse your hands well under running water and dry them 68 00:04:10,360 --> 00:04:13,480 Speaker 1: using a clean towel or with an air dryer. If 69 00:04:13,520 --> 00:04:15,520 Speaker 1: you're in a public restroom, it helps to use a 70 00:04:15,560 --> 00:04:18,320 Speaker 1: paper towel to turn the faucet off and to open 71 00:04:18,360 --> 00:04:21,960 Speaker 1: the bathroom door. A lot of publicity has gone into 72 00:04:22,080 --> 00:04:25,000 Speaker 1: educating people that they're not washing for long enough, but 73 00:04:25,080 --> 00:04:27,839 Speaker 1: many are also missing the mark by not thoroughly rubbing 74 00:04:27,880 --> 00:04:31,360 Speaker 1: all parts of the hand. Poland said, think of how 75 00:04:31,360 --> 00:04:35,039 Speaker 1: we transfer viruses, bacteria, et cetera into our body. It's 76 00:04:35,040 --> 00:04:37,680 Speaker 1: with the area of the hand that nobody washes properly. 77 00:04:38,160 --> 00:04:41,520 Speaker 1: That is the fingertips. People wash the palm, they wash 78 00:04:41,560 --> 00:04:43,440 Speaker 1: the back of their hand, They wash the bottom third 79 00:04:43,440 --> 00:04:45,560 Speaker 1: of the fingers. But have you ever seen someone wash 80 00:04:45,640 --> 00:04:50,400 Speaker 1: fingernails or tips? So the next time you're washing up, 81 00:04:50,520 --> 00:04:52,719 Speaker 1: make a point to pay extra attention to these often 82 00:04:52,760 --> 00:04:57,760 Speaker 1: neglected appendages. There will be times, though, when hand sanitizer 83 00:04:57,920 --> 00:05:00,839 Speaker 1: just makes more sense than hand washing. Let's say you 84 00:05:00,880 --> 00:05:03,080 Speaker 1: were in the bathroom at your office. Followed all the 85 00:05:03,080 --> 00:05:06,719 Speaker 1: steps we outlined above, so now you have perfectly clean hands. 86 00:05:07,240 --> 00:05:09,880 Speaker 1: But wait, you need to open the door that leads 87 00:05:09,880 --> 00:05:12,799 Speaker 1: from the hallway where the bathroom is back to your office. 88 00:05:13,200 --> 00:05:15,600 Speaker 1: Dozens of people are opening and closing that door all day. 89 00:05:16,160 --> 00:05:19,080 Speaker 1: Applying a dollop of hand sanitizer might be easier than 90 00:05:19,120 --> 00:05:22,359 Speaker 1: washing your hands again, so here's the correct way to 91 00:05:22,440 --> 00:05:26,760 Speaker 1: do that. First, make sure you're applying enough. About a 92 00:05:26,839 --> 00:05:29,800 Speaker 1: quarter to a half dollar sized amount of hand sanitizer 93 00:05:29,880 --> 00:05:33,080 Speaker 1: is necessary. Rub it over all the parts of your hand, 94 00:05:33,200 --> 00:05:35,480 Speaker 1: starting from the finger tips and working your way back 95 00:05:35,560 --> 00:05:39,640 Speaker 1: to disinfect, and don't forget in between your fingers. Poland 96 00:05:39,640 --> 00:05:43,000 Speaker 1: said keep doing that until it's dry. That way, you 97 00:05:43,000 --> 00:05:45,920 Speaker 1: know you've had enough exposure time for that disinfectant to kill. 98 00:05:47,200 --> 00:05:49,159 Speaker 1: Resist the urge to wipe your hands on a paper 99 00:05:49,200 --> 00:05:52,080 Speaker 1: towel or your pants to speed up the drying process. 100 00:05:53,760 --> 00:05:57,640 Speaker 1: Since hand sanitizer and washing can be very drying, you 101 00:05:57,720 --> 00:06:00,120 Speaker 1: might want to keep some hand lotion or cream or 102 00:06:00,160 --> 00:06:04,200 Speaker 1: by to apply once your hands are dry. And just 103 00:06:04,320 --> 00:06:07,719 Speaker 1: one more thing. Dr Poland has fielded questions from people 104 00:06:07,880 --> 00:06:11,400 Speaker 1: who asked about using disinfecting wipes like those made by 105 00:06:11,520 --> 00:06:14,760 Speaker 1: Chlorox or lysol on their skin as an added layer 106 00:06:14,839 --> 00:06:20,440 Speaker 1: of protection. He strongly advises people against this quote. Do 107 00:06:20,520 --> 00:06:23,280 Speaker 1: not wipe your face with chlorox wipes, do not clean 108 00:06:23,320 --> 00:06:25,800 Speaker 1: your nose with it, and do not suck on it. 109 00:06:25,800 --> 00:06:28,719 Speaker 1: It does not help, it will harm you, and it hurts. 110 00:06:29,440 --> 00:06:37,400 Speaker 1: It offers no benefit. Today's episode was written by Ali A. 111 00:06:37,480 --> 00:06:39,800 Speaker 1: Hoyt and produced by Tyler Klang. For more on this 112 00:06:39,880 --> 00:06:42,600 Speaker 1: and lots of other topics, visit how stuff works dot com. 113 00:06:42,720 --> 00:06:44,880 Speaker 1: Brain Stuff is production of I Heart Radio. For more 114 00:06:44,920 --> 00:06:47,360 Speaker 1: podcasts from my heart Radio, visit the heart Radio app, 115 00:06:47,480 --> 00:06:50,159 Speaker 1: Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to your favorite shows.