Eli5 why do people say to wash dishes or your hands in warm water when cold slows down bacteria growth?
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Cold slows down bacteria growth. But doesn’t stop it completely. And, unless you store them in cold water permanently, they won’t stay cold for long, especially hands I hope. See a doctor if they do, you might have cardiovascular issues.
Warm water softens the fats, letting the soap dissolve and remove them more easily. And the bacteria residing in those fats along with it. Leaving a clean surface.
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
Studies have shown that there’s no advantage to using warm water over cold when washing your hands. No temperature that’s going to be safe for your hands actually makes a difference to the bacteria; the soap does the heavy lifting.
For dishes, warm water is recommended because it’s more effective at removing grease and loosening stuck food than cold water. But it’s still not about killing bacteria; that’s what the soap is for.
Cold slows down bacteria growth. But doesn’t stop it completely. And, unless you store them in cold water permanently, they won’t stay cold for long, especially hands I hope. See a doctor if they do, you might have cardiovascular issues.
Warm water softens the fats, letting the soap dissolve and remove them more easily. And the bacteria residing in those fats along with it. Leaving a clean surface.
The cold you are referring to is very cold. Close to freezing or below 40F. Your tap water is no where close to that. It maybe 60F to 70F degrees. Warm water is going to be closer to 80-90F. But soap is the main thing to use whatever the temperature and also the length of time. A through wash, cold or warm is much better than a quick rinse.
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
Cold slows down bacteria growth. But doesn’t stop it completely. And, unless you store them in cold water permanently, they won’t stay cold for long, especially hands I hope. See a doctor if they do, you might have cardiovascular issues.
Warm water softens the fats, letting the soap dissolve and remove them more easily. And the bacteria residing in those fats along with it. Leaving a clean surface.
Studies have shown that there’s no advantage to using warm water over cold when washing your hands. No temperature that’s going to be safe for your hands actually makes a difference to the bacteria; the soap does the heavy lifting.
For dishes, warm water is recommended because it’s more effective at removing grease and loosening stuck food than cold water. But it’s still not about killing bacteria; that’s what the soap is for.
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
Studies have shown that there’s no advantage to using warm water over cold when washing your hands. No temperature that’s going to be safe for your hands actually makes a difference to the bacteria; the soap does the heavy lifting.
For dishes, warm water is recommended because it’s more effective at removing grease and loosening stuck food than cold water. But it’s still not about killing bacteria; that’s what the soap is for.
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