A third of men don’t wash their hands after visiting the toilet
Official proof that men really are dirtier than women!
If you need evidence that men truly are the dirtier sex then here it is. A new survey out today on the hand-washing attitudes of the nation has revealed that males are leading the way in unhygienic practices ahead of their female counterparts.
On average British men wash their hands fewer times per day than women, and when they do turn on the tap they spend less time washing them and are less inclined to reach for the soap. Adding to this, a third of men don’t clean their hands after visiting the toilet!
And if men can’t actually see dirt on their hands, then they assume they must be clean. Almost one in three men (29%) won’t wash their hands if they don’t look dirty – nearly twice as many than women (18%). Men are less likely to clean their hands before cooking, after using public transport, or after sneezing.
The survey of over 4000 Brits by Wet Ones was commissioned for the launch of National Hand Hygiene Awareness Week (26th October to 1st November 2009), to educate the importance of maintaining clean hands to prevent the spreading of germs and viruses. Nearly half of those surveyed (48 per cent) are unaware of the germs harboured by the Tube, trains and buses, with just four in 10 washing their hands when they get to work or at the end of the day.
A spokesperson for Wet Ones commented:
“We were very surprised by the results of the survey, which suggests that there's a huge amount of education required in the UK about the importance of hand hygiene. We shouldn’t let our busy lifestyles compromise our health and hygiene – it only takes a few seconds to wash your hands and even when you’re out and about you can use an antibacterial hand wipe such as Wet Ones Cleansing. Hand Hygiene Awareness week has been launched to help and advise people on how, when and why they should be cleaning their hands to keep them germ free."
GMTV’s Dr Hilary Jones, who’s backing Hand Hygiene Awareness Week said:
“Cleaning your hands is the most effective way to stop the spreading of germs. People should regularly clean their hands before eating and after going to the toilet to prevent against germs and viruses. Even when out & about people can clean hands by using antibacterial hand wipes such as Wet Ones Cleansing."
Dirty Hands League:
Calculated with number of men who don’t always wash their hands after going to the bathroom:
1. York - 40%
2. Edinburgh - 37%
3. Newcastle - 36%
4. Portsmouth - 36%
5. Wolverhampton - 35%
6. Swansea - 33%
7. Belfast - 33%
8. Liverpool - 33%
9. Sheffield - 32%
10. Belfast - 29%
11. London - 29%
12. Leeds - 29%
13. Manchester - 27%
Cleanest Hands League:
1. Coventry - 88%
2. Norwich - 86%
3. Glasgow - 80%
4. Bristol - 78%
5. Brighton & Hove - 78%
6. Oxford - 77%
7. Aberdeen – 76%
8. Cardiff - 76%
9. Leicester - 75%
10. Cambridge 75%
11. Plymouth - 74%
12. Southampton - 74%
For more information visit www.handhygieneawarenessweek.co.uk
