Eli5 why do people say to wash dishes or your hands in warm water when cold slows down bacteria growth?
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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.
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.
Cold water is uncomfortable, and people have a tendency to just want to get it over with as quickly as possible. In so doing, they tend to cut corners. Warm water sidesteps this problem.
Cold water is uncomfortable, and people have a tendency to just want to get it over with as quickly as possible. In so doing, they tend to cut corners. Warm water sidesteps this problem.
Cold water is uncomfortable, and people have a tendency to just want to get it over with as quickly as possible. In so doing, they tend to cut corners. Warm water sidesteps this problem.
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.
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.
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.
Basically, washing isn’t about sanitation. Soap and warm water dissolve fat, grease, etc better, and so they wash away wherever is left on your hands and dishes a little easier. This doesn’t need to kill the germs so much as remove them.
Sanitation, killing all the germs, us a second, separate step. In a restaurant, you’d clean your dishes, counters, etc first and then use a germ killing agent (like bleach solution). For hands, there’s alcohol-based sanitizer lotion.
Basically, washing isn’t about sanitation. Soap and warm water dissolve fat, grease, etc better, and so they wash away wherever is left on your hands and dishes a little easier. This doesn’t need to kill the germs so much as remove them.
Sanitation, killing all the germs, us a second, separate step. In a restaurant, you’d clean your dishes, counters, etc first and then use a germ killing agent (like bleach solution). For hands, there’s alcohol-based sanitizer lotion.
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