One ‘rule’ that health officials and medical types keep stressing to us during the COVID-19 crisis is, ‘WASH YOUR HANDS’. But, as I learned way back in culinary school, there’s a ‘right way’ to do that. I’ve compiled a collection of top tips and tutorials to help you understand both the whys and the wherefores…
Top chefs and others are offering their own versions of the ‘How To Wash Your Hands’ tutorial this week. There’s no doubt that hand washing is a critical activity to keep yourself safe from COVID-19, but there are many opinions out there about the ‘right’ way to do it.
First, a little background…
Virologists tell us that COVID-19 virus has a fatty, or lipid outer shell. Soap dissolves Fat. So, washing your hands will dissolve the virus’ shell. After that, the rest of the virus’ structure will fall apart. That’s why washing your hands is so important.
The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) counsel: “Wash your hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds especially after you have been in a public place, or after blowing your nose, coughing, or sneezing.”
Gordon Ramsay’s prescription
Gordon Ramsay has a reputation as a know-it-all and a bully, but that’s just a front; a character he plays on TV. The real Ramsay is a gentle spoken family man who really cares about people. And he’s posted a hand washing tutorial on Instagram you’ll want to take a couple of minutes to watch…
You’ll note that Ramsay allows for other forms of this vital ritual. And he’s not the only Chef to offer advice…
Alton Brown explains the science
Alton Brown has produced a number of TV food series all stressing the science behind the cookery. He recently prepared a 5-minjute rundown on the whys as well as the wherefores of hand washing…
How the surgeons scrub up
Johns Hopkins University Medical Center recommends this detailed procedure, called the Brush Stroke method, for pre-surgical scrubbing…
Two things most of us miss…
Of course, we ‘civilians’ need not go to all the trouble that surgeons and scrub nurses do. For our purposes a 20-second wash with Soap and Warm Water is all we need to banish bacteria and viruses.
The important thing is to make sure Soap gets rubbed onto all surfaces of your hands. And here’s where many of us miss a critical step. We forget to wash between our fingers, and to wash the tips of our fingers…
Now you can go forward…
…Confident that you’re doing everything you can to protect yourself from the COVID-19 menace.
~ Maggie J.