Eli5 why do people say to wash dishes or your hands in warm water when cold slows down bacteria growth?
In: 722
Actually, the temperature of the water you wash your hands with doesn’t matter whatsoever. Hot water is useful for washing dishes, because it helps melt grease and increases the speed with with soap removes grease and oils. When you’re washing your hands though, the temperature is entirely irrelevant.
When we wash our hands, what’s happening is the soap and water are combining to form a lather, which helps lift the bacteria away off our skin and into the water. This process can happen at basically any temperature at which the water is liquid. Many people seem to think you need to wash your hands with hot water because the heat helps kill the bacteria, however the temperatures required to do this would cause damage to your hands as well. As long as you are producing a quality lather, scrubbing your hands together, and rinsing them off, the temperature of the water is entirely irrelevant.
Edit: I was talking strictly within the context of removing pathogens from your hands, rather than removing contaminats like heavy oils and fats. In those situations warmer water will help in the same way it helps with the dishes
Latest Answers