How Often Should I Wash My Hands?

M.Holloway BSc., MSc.

How often should I wash my hands to protect my family?

During this time of the COVID-19 pandemic it is recommened to wash your hands more frequently. But how often should I wash my hands? The answer is more WHEN you should wash your hands. It is still true that you should wash your hands after going to the bathroom (even if you don't use the loo itself), before every meal and before and after preparing food. This adds up to at least 6 times a day and we think this is conservative. We suggest :

Every time you go outside

Before and after you touch someone else

Every time you bring in the post

Before and after shopping

After cleaning anything

Now it's easy to go overboard and delelop skin irritation (our skincare range is recomended here) so be careful of this.

In summary, we estimate that the number of times you may need to wash your hands on a given day currently may vary between 6 to 11 times per day. This number will obviously vary depending on your behaviour, your job (mum, care giver etc.) so use your discretion.