US Handwashing Rates Decline as Global Handwashing Day Arrives

Each October, Global Handwashing Day highlights the important relationship between handwashing with soap and water and staying healthy. But as the pandemic moves to the background in the minds of most Americans, handwashing is as well. According to Bradley Corporation’s newest Healthy Handwashing Survey, there was a 25% decline in handwashing compared with early on in the coronavirus pandemic. In 2020, Americans were washing their hands an average of 10.5 times per day. By 2022, that number dropped by one-fourth to 7.8 times per day, according to the Menomonee Falls, WI-based manufacturer of commercial plumbing fixtures, washroom accessories and other hardware.

The company has conducted its annual survey since 2009.

While the adult population may be shortchanging their handwashing routine, the survey found that 79% of parents take some sort of action to encourage their children to suds up. Accordingh to Bradley, 44% said they regularly ask their young ones to wash their hands, 26% have added it to their children’s routine and 25% buy fun soaps to make handwashing more interesting.

As for hand hygiene outside of the home, 64% of parents say their child’s school or daycare builds handwashing into the daily schedule.

Some good news from the survey: the majority of American adults are on target with how long they wash their hands. The CDC recommends lathering up and scrubbing for a minimum of 20 seconds. The survey found that 63% follow that guidance and wash for an average of 21 seconds. However, 17% of the population say they only take five to 10 seconds to clean up.

Overall, the 2022 survey found anxiety and actions surrounding the coronavirus have relaxed as the country enters the third year of the pandemic.

Currently 41% of respondents say they are very concerned about contracting the coronavirus. That’s a significant drop from January 2021 when more than half of the population (53%) expressed a high level of concern.

Another indication that fears are starting to ebb is showing up in the way people greet each other. In April 2020, 67% preferred to wave hello in order to eliminate physical contact and 49% said they specifically avoided shaking hands. In January 2022, 44% are using a wave as a greeting and only 36% say they are avoiding handshakes.

And, while still high, concerns about coming into contact with germs are also starting to recede. These days, 78% of Americans say they are more conscious about germs as a result of the coronavirus compared to 89% in April 2020 and 86% in February 2021.

The annual Healthy Handwashing Survey from Bradley Corp. queried 1,035 American adults Jan. 10-21, 2022, about their handwashing habits, concerns about the coronavirus and flu and their use of public restrooms. Participants were from around the country and were fairly evenly split between men (46%) and women (54%).