How COVID-19 is removed from hands with soap and water washing
Chris Whieldon
Designer and manufacturer of portable handwash units for medical facilities, catering, motor vehicles, care homes and home care, the beauty industry and schools and nurseries.
Just washing the microorganisms down the drain is by far the most effective way
COVID-19, described as an “enveloped virus”, is comparatively easy to remove, being assessed as a “wimpy”, in a recent article on the Daily Targum website.
This assessment in the report by Astha Lakhankar comes courtesy of Dr. Donald W. Schaffner, who is Extension Specialist in Food Science and Distinguished Professor at Rutgers University.
Hand washing with soap and water, (using appropriate techniques and for a suitable duration), “provides a strong defense against the virus that causes COVID-19” Dr Schaffner is quoted as saying.
“Soap molecules can attach part of themselves to both water molecules and particles like the virus. This unique property allows soap to remove the virus from hands, along with dirt, oil and grease particles.”
So in effect, what you’re actually doing is simply washing the virus down the drain, not trying to kill it at all. In fact, coronavirus is actually easier to remove than more resistant viruses, such as norovirus he advises.
Wash hands frequently
The article also refers to the Centers for Disease Control and Pevention (CDC) guidance COVID-19 (Coronavirus Disease) – How to Protect Yourself & Others which states
“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.”