Are We Becoming Complacently Foolish With Hygiene?

By Ellis Ranger

One month on from the lifting of most major restrictions in England, are we still paying extra attention to cleanliness to stop the spread of Covid-19? The importance of impeccable personal hygiene was bought to the forefront of all of our minds around the time of the first lockdown in March 2020.

Hand sanitiser sold out across most major stores, toilet roll and baby wipes disappeared from shelves quicker than they were able to be restocked. And domestic cleaning products were being purchased as if they were going out of fashion. But are we becoming complacently foolish when it comes to hygiene, despite life looking more ‘normal’? 

Most businesses that remained open required you to sanitise your hands before and after leaving. The introduction of face coverings, or masks, was controversial but followed by the majority.

So what has changed from then to now? According to a report from Citron Hygiene, one third of the 2,000 adults surveyed said that the ever-growing presence of coronavirus had no impact on how important they thought it was to wash regularly.

And a quarter of adults still do not wash their hands after coughing, and 16% still sneeze without sanitising after. So if we are being complacently foolish, why?

Understanding the vaccine

There could well be misconceptions when it comes to the vaccine. Do people really believe that the vaccine has made them immune so extreme cleanliness is less of a priority? On the other hand, people who only had mild cases might now believe they’re unable to contract the virus again so can be more relaxed about personal hygiene. The research suggests that complacency is an issue. And given that two thirds of people asked believe that carelessness has caused the virus to spread more quickly, there is quite possibly a case. 

Hand sanitisers

Maintaining the use of hand sanitisers in the workplace and at home leads the charge for the easiest and most efficient to upkeep the standards we previously set. Most business owners and managers are advising their colleagues to keep sanitiser on their desks or persons during work. It can still be found at the entrance to all major retail stores and can be bought in bulk. Accessibility for the product is vast and whilst the smell of some of the sanitisers can arguably be described as no less than disgusting, the protection it provides for you and those around you is next to none. 

Face coverings

Face coverings, or masks as they’re most commonly known, will continue to divide opinion. Whilst the choice for the most part remains optional, we shouldn’t bin them yet and common sense should be used. Supermarkets and buses will ask people to wear a mask if they can. Like sanitisers, masks have been mass produced, and are immediately accessible for the majority of the public. They provide a layer of protection for yourself and those around you, and make face to face interactions safer. It remains a good tool to maintain personal and social hygiene and it probably comes naturally to us now.

The 20 second rule

Washing your hands is one of the greatest ways to upkeep personal hygiene. We all remember how singing Happy Birthday To You was the perfect way to make sure we washed our hands for 20 seconds using soap and water. Both cold and warm water are equally effective at removing germs and viruses from your hands. That’s as long as you use soap and wash your hands the right way. The survey suggests that the average hand washing time is as low as 16 seconds, so just a few seconds more could make all the difference.

Using professional cleaners

There is a large issue surrounding public toilets with people much preferring to avoid them because they find them unsanitary. 43% of people from the study said that this is one reason why they are scared to leave their home. Given the presence of the pandemic, a lot of businesses stepped up their efforts to provide a cleaner public space for their clients. However people are still sceptical. During the height of the pandemic, cleaning businesses like CBS Cleaning began carrying out Covid cleans to make enclosed spaces that much cleaner.

Why choose us?  

CBS Cleaning has been and continues to provide Covid cleans throughout the pandemic. And we ensure that all of our clients are working and living in the cleanest environment possible. With a team of highly trained staff, we strive to provide a great service. If you would like to find out more about how we can help, get in touch. Call us on 01480 220434 or email info@cbs-cleaning.org. CBS Cleaning is part of CBS Group.