Since the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic we seem to have ended up putting more thought into washing our hands than we could have ever have imagined was possible.
A task that used to be a mundane part of our daily lives now has more thought and research put into it than the actual virus itself.
Between watching videos of the best hand washing techniques to finding the best 20-30 second song verse to time our sink sessions and researching the most gentle hand washes to lather up with without leaving our hands parched and cracked, there’s a lot to think about when washing our hands these days.
But it turns out there could be one simple thing we’re overlooking when it comes to keeping our hands clean – and we don’t know how we never thought of it before.
A nurse has revealed that not cutting our nails could be stopping us from getting the level of cleanliness that we’re aiming for.
According to an Australian health worker, long nails could be one of the fastest spreaders of the concerning virus as the humble body part could hold germs and bacteria – and could even conceal the virus underneath.
‘Among all the hand-washing instructions and the fun 20-second song suggestions, I haven’t seen anyone note that it is impossible to wash your hands properly if your fingernails are long,’ wrote the nurse in an informative Facebook post.
‘If you can’t put your fingernails straight down against your other palm without your nails adding too much distance to do it, you cannot wash under your fingernails properly unless you use a nail brush every time,’ she explained.
‘If you can’t rub the very ends of your fingers against the other palm, then your hands aren’t truly clean after you wash them, no matter how long you soap up. Please, during this global emergency, keep your nails short.’
And nail biters beware – nibbling on your fingernail is an easy way to get germs and bacteria into your system!
