What Do You Do 20 Times a Day?!

Can you think of anything that you do at least 20 times a day?!

I saw an ad on TV recently that says we wash our hands on average 7 times per day.

Not me!

And before you think I’m a complete grot, it’s because I wash my hands a lot more than that!

Heck, Lady Macbeth (out, damned spot!) had nothing on me …

When To Wash Your Hands

When you consider that for good health and hygiene, we are supposed to wash our hands:

• after using the toilet;
• before preparing food;
• before eating;
• after changing nappies;
• after blowing your nose;
• after playing with pets;
• after touching a shopping trolley;

well, it all adds up.

And then there are all the other occasions when we might need to wash our hands – for example, if we have been gardening, doing craft, or some other form of dirty work. No wonder I feel like I am always washing my hands!

Wash Your Hands Geoffrey …

(If you remember “Wash Your Hands Geoffrey“, from the old Solvol ad, I can pretty much guarantee you are middle aged!)

My life is just so fascinating that I actually did the research one day recently, and I discovered I wash my hands at least 20 times a day:

• First thing upon waking I head for the bathroom for a pit stop, and wash my hands.
• Miss Fleur comes in for pats and cuddles – afterwards, I wash my hands again.
• I throw on some clothes for my morning walk, and apply sunscreen. Wash hands again.
• Back from my walk and into the shower – another hand washing (as well as the rest of my body).
• Before making breakfast I wash my hands.
• I clean up the kitchen, and although I don’t intentionally wash my hands, that’s what happens when you are rinsing plates or scrubbing saucepans.
• Sit at my desk and work until morning tea time and a bathroom pit stop. Wash hands.
• Take my cup of tea out into the garden, pull a few weeds out of the vegie patch, check the soil to see if it needs watering.
• Come in and wash hands.
• Back at my desk.
• Bathroom break (always an hour after a cup of tea!) – wash hands.
• Work at my desk.
• Stop for lunch, wash hands, fix lunch.
• Eat lunch, wash hands again as I have usually eaten a piece or fruit or similar, which has made my hands all sticky.
• Take rubbish out, something leaks. Wash hands.
• Pop out to the op shop.
• Wash my hands when I get home, they always feel dirty after op shopping.
• Back at my desk. Miss Fleur jumps on my lap and demands pats and love. Sneeze, blow my nose, go wash my hands.
• More computer work.
• Bathroom break – wash hands.
• I finish up at my computer at about 6, which is when the hubster gets home from work.
• Time to cook dinner – wash my hands first.
• Feed Miss Fleur. Wash hands.
• Eat dinner.
• Wash my hands and rinse dishes afterwards.
• Pull out a new jigsaw puzzle to work on. The new ones always seem to have a lot of paper dust on them, so I need to wash my hands.
• Puzzling and a cuppa with my Bear.
• Bathroom break, wash hands.
• Veg out in front of the telly.
• Get up so I can go to bed – lock up the house, pick up the cat and put her to bed in the laundry, tidy up, turn off the lights, etc.
• Wash hands, brush teeth.
• Hop into bed.
• Visit the bathroom at least once during the night. Wash hands.

I’m not very good at maths, but that adds up to more than 20 times a day – three times the supposed average. Dirty blighters!

Is it any wonder I used to get dermatitis on my hands when I had small children, and was constantly changing nappies?!

I must confess – I don’t always use the recommended warm water to wash my hands. That’s because our hot water system is located so far from our ensuite and kitchen taps, it takes too long for the hot water to come through. Do you?

Is there anything you do at least 20 times a day?!