Does it kill more germs to wash your hands vigorously for 15 seconds or slowly for 30 seconds?
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Slowly for 30 seconds. The majority of the cleaning power of soap comes from its ability to trap and lift away dirt and micro organisms. So the longer you take the scrub your hands thoroughly, the more germs you remove from your hands.
The thing that causes your hands to be cleaned is the hand rubbing, which helps the soap to break the bonds the dirt and pathogens have on your skin holding them in place. The amount of time is essentially irrelevant, what matters most is the amount of rubbing. Whichever version has the most rubbing will leave your hands the cleanest
Studies on hand washing show you you wash i more important. People actually miss many areas of their hands without being cognizant of it. It’s actually kind of horrifying when you see it displayed and realized what type of foods and other risky materials are being handled “safely”.
Washing hands by and large does not kill germs (some bacteria and viruses with lipid walls will be ruptured, yes…). The soap encloses particles (including germs) and the rinsing washes them away. The longer you spend lathering and covering all surfaces with soap and the longer you are rinsing, the better the result. But unless it’s a specifically designed antibacterial soap or alcohol/disinfectant rinse, the purpose is not to kill things, it’s to remove them.
Vigorously rubbing is the cleaning process. The more rubbing, the more rubbing the more gets trapped and scrubbed off.
I just want to say, this was a very great question. Honestly learned something today about what the soap is doing to your hands when you wash them. Also, 30 seconds slowly is best for removing the bacteria from your hands.
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