Eli5 why do people say to wash dishes or your hands in warm water when cold slows down bacteria growth?
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When I grew up, my dad would wash his hands in scalding water since he knew that the normal hot water was not effective at cleaning bacteria off his hands. He made me wash my hands in scalding water too, and I guess I just got used to it. One time I was washing hands in a public bathroom and I left it on for my friend who was behind me and he screamed when putting his hands under the water which is when I realized that it wasn’t normal.
I learned later that the whole idea of using warm water is just so it’s comfortable and you wash them for the correct amount of time. The temperatures a human can put up with without getting injured are not hot or cold enough to have a significant effect on bacteria.
I’m left with a strong resistance to heat (and also cold) in my hands now thanks to a 70+ year long misconception. Interesting how life works like that sometimes.
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