Washing your hands - Hot, warm or cold water? - POLL

[torpid]

Originally posted by: sao123
Hand Sanitizers are generally 40% alcohol by volume, studies show that for these products to be an effective sanitizer, the alcohol content must absolutely minimum >60, and much closer to 75-95% to be truly effective...

My bottle of purell says 62%

 

[sao123]

Originally posted by: dullard

Originally posted by: sao123
All Myth...

I said tap water doesn't have many bacteria/viruses. That is a myth?

I said soap washes away the germs. That is a myth?

I said that the hot water does little to kill the germs. That is a myth?

It sounded like your "all myth" was disagreeing with me, but then the rest of your post agreed with everything I said. So, maybe I mistook what you were tying to say.

I meant to quote the OP's statement as being myth... the only thing in your post I disagreed with is you said...


3) The soap washes them away, or even outright kills them

 

[jjones]

Usually cold water. I would think that hot water, from the tap and at a temperature you can stand, isn't hot enough to kill anything that matters anyway.

 

[Rudee]

You actually questioned you doctor about his handwashing?

 

[Xavier434]

If there is one thing I have learned about doctors, it is that they make all the little things that make next to no difference to your health seem like a big deal. I wish they didn't do that. It makes a lot of people paranoid because they do not know any better.

 

[Vic]

Originally posted by: wnangle
I was at the doctors office the other day and noticed my doctor washing his hands (with soap) with very hot water. I asked him about it and he said that the hot water is cleaner since it has gone through a heater, whereas cold water could have any type of germ attached. He said that cold water is not good for you as many organisms can live through the chemicals (just look through a microscope at cold tap water) and hot water has much less to none. Has anyone else heard this? What temperature water do you wash your hands with?

Your doctor is simply wrong. Any water hot enough to kill microbes would burn your skin as well.
The process of washing one's hands with ordinary soap is a mechanical one, not chemical. You are removing germs (at best), not killing them.

All that said, I prefer to wash my hands in hot water, however, I won't waste water waiting for it warm up should it take more than a few seconds.

 

[BW86]

warm