Photo by: Alyssa Braun
The word on the street is that The Global Hygiene Council conducted an international study on Health and Hygiene. The group scoured the sinks, hands, and other dirty little places of the United Kingdom, Canada, Brazil, United States, South Africa, France, Germany, Malaysia, Australia, China, India and the Middle East - Saudi Arabia and United Arab Emirates. That must have been interesting...
Anyway, I for one am not shocked by Brazil's results. They say that Brazilians are the one who wash their hands with soap the most!
Seriously, this comes as no surprise. If you are surprised, go to a kiddie park here in Rio de Janeiro and watch the mother freak out when the child touches anything. The high pitched "NO NO, DIRTY!" can be heard from all around. Personally, I think it's a bit evil. You take a kid to a park with sand and they can't get dirty?! Talk about putting a donut in front of a diabetic.
But it is the way of Brazilians! Brazilians are clean freaks. My Mother-in-law gets up every morning, sweeps, and mops her tile floor with a bleach/water solution. Every morning! And she has a maid who comes twice a week.
My dermatologist told me that she has to insist on her patients not bathing their children more than once a day with soap. They think she's crazy but it really isn't good for the skin.
So it's kind of obvious that 67% of Brazilians wash their hands more times a day then everyone else. Case in point, it is fully expected by Mr. Rant that I will take the boys straight in and wash their hands the moment we arrive home from school or the park. For him it's mind boggling as why I wouldn't. And you know what, I normally do. Really people, it's just good sense. That goes double if you've heard about friends finding worms sticking out of their kid's rectum.
I can also see how it doesn't happen. Getting children to a sink is like herding cats, the little suckers go everywhere. Add in the logic of 'God made dirt so dirt don't hurt' and you have yourself a pretty convincing argument for an exhausted adult.
None the less, I will say that Brazil has made me even more hygienic. I am accustomed to a new level of clean and now all else feels dirty. Hell, I won't even sit on my bed, with a throw cover on, in my outside pants. This wild pony has been tamed and taught to run in a circle. Personally, in this case, it may be for my own good.
Question: Do you wash your hands regularly? With soap? For the 20 seconds that is recommended?
