You Wash Your Hands, But Does Everyone Else?

How would you answer the question, “Did you wash your hands after using the restroom?” If you’re like most people, your answer to that question would be, “Yes.” But do most people tell the truth? It doesn’t appear that way, according to a University of Minnesota Hand Washing Study conducted at the 2004 Minnesota State Fair.

Discrete observations of hundreds of people during three events held on the fairgrounds revealed that average observed hand washing was 64 percent, 65 percent and 75 percent among females and only 30 percent, 39 percent and 51 percent among males at the three events, respectively (Figure 1).

MN State Fair Handwashing Study Graphic 1


Overall, average observed hand washing rates were higher for adults than for youths (Figure 2). However, female youths had the highest average observed hand washing rate of the four groups observed (66 percent), followed by adults males (53 percent), adult females (50 percent), and male youths (18 percent).

MN State Fair Handwashing Study Graphic 2


Hand rinsing was observed at about a three times higher rate in males than in females, while females were more often observed leaving without either hand washing or hand rinsing. Thirty-eight percent (38%) of observed adult females did not perform hand washing or hand rinsing compared to 22 percent of female youths, 18 percent of male youths, and 6 percent of adult males.

So what’s the take-home message of the Minnesota State Fair study? In our opinion, it’s simple:

If you plan to have any contact with human beings during a 24-hour period and you want to protect yourself as much as possible from the bacteria, germs and viruses you might encounter as a result of that contact, you should keep a bottle of Alcohol-Free Foam Hand Sanitizer featuring DepHyze™ technology within reach.

Offering unprecedented Log 5 efficacy, Alcohol-Free Foam Hand Sanitizer kills well beyond the level of any of the leading alcohol-based hand sanitizers products on the market (i.e., 99.999 percent kill rate). It does so through the use of a key ingredient, benzalkonium chloride (BZK) has been proven effective against H1N1 (a.k.a.,”Swine Flu”), according to a study conducted in Japan two years ago.

Unlike other hand sanitizer products which contain BZK, Alcohol-Free Foam Hand Sanitizer maximizes its effectiveness via the use of a unique surfactant package which allows that ingredient to penetrate cell walls at a higher rate Best of all, it does it in a manner that’s safe, effective, non-toxic and environmentally-friendly.

Labels: dephyze, H1N1 Swine Flu, Hand Sanitizer, Prevent Flu Infection