Britons too busy to wash their hands
It is not rocket science. Washing our hands and keeping our food surfaces clean are two clear-cut ways in which we can avoid illness.
But incredibly, many of us in Britain confess to be either too busy or too lazy to carry out either of these tasks on a regular basis.
Researchers in the recent Dettol HABIT study found that only 50 per cent of adults always wash their hands with soap after visiting the toilet.
When using the loo at work, 27 per cent claim they are too busy to wash and dry their hands properly afterwards. More than half the men questioned also regularly skipped their morning shower, with a quarter admitting they would rather have the extra time in bed.
Around half of those polled said they often leave work surfaces in their kitchen to become “really bad” before cleaning them, even after preparing raw meat. And fewer than 50 per cent of people wash their hands before eating or preparing a meal.
Professor John Oxford, Chairman of the Hygiene Council and Professor of Virology at Queen Mary College, University of London, said: "We all live extremely busy lives and 21st century living is much faster paced than it was, say, 20 years ago.
"However, there is no excuse for people neglecting basic tasks such as washing the hands with soap after visiting the toilet and cleaning their homes to a standard that is healthy for people to inhabit.
"We're not suggesting that you live in a sterile environment - that would be impossible - but we are suggesting you make time in your busy day to wash hands with soap at key times and target the areas of your home that are responsible for causing infections to spread around the household."
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