The photographic proof you DO have to wash your hands after going to the loo trends now

The photographic proof you DO have to wash your hands after going to the loo trends now
The photographic proof you DO have to wash your hands after going to the loo trends now

The photographic proof you DO have to wash your hands after going to the loo trends now

It seems like stating the absolute obvious: after you’ve gone to the loo, wash your hands. But judging by a viral clip that surfaced on social media last week, this simple piece of health advice may have been lost on a new generation.

In the short video, which has been viewed seven million times on Twitter, American social-media personalities Jordyn Woodruff and Alex Bennett admit they don’t wash their hands after – forgive the language – going for a pee.

‘I made the conscious decision to stop washing my hands in college,’ Woodruff told listeners of the pair’s popular podcast Mean Girl. ‘One day I was like, “I’m just not going to wash them.” ’

To which Bennett replies: ‘I don’t really trust people that wash their hands [after going to the toilet], because I don’t think it actually does anything.’

The clip has since amassed 350,000 views on video-sharing app TikTok, with thousands of comments, too. Many were keen to point out that Woodruff and Bennett are far from alone. One said ‘Ninety-nine per cent of people who say they wash their hands are lying’, while another wrote: ‘Most men do not.’

Not washing your hands after using the lavatory encourages the rapid growth of dangerous bugs

Not washing your hands after using the lavatory encourages the rapid growth of dangerous bugs

Washing for six seconds without soap is only just barely more effective than not washing

Washing for six seconds without soap is only just barely more effective than not washing

According to some studies, about two-thirds of men leave their hands unwashed after going to the toilet.

‘This attitude is more common than most people think,’ says Dr Marina Serdar, a microbiologist at the University of Nottingham. ‘Some people forget; others just can’t be bothered.’

ProfESSOR Sally Bloomfield, chair of the International Scientific Forum on Home Hygiene, says: ‘Despite what many people might think, soap doesn’t kill bacteria – it lifts the bacteria from your skin and then the water washes them away. So not only do you need to use plenty of soap, you also must rinse your hands long enough to get rid of all the germs.’

But surveys show about a quarter of Britons don’t wash their hands with soap and water.

So just how bad for our health are unhygienic habits?

American social media star Jordyn Woodruff, pictured, has announced she no longer wants to wash her hands after using the bathroom

American social media star Jordyn Woodruff, pictured, has announced she no longer wants to wash her hands after using the bathroom

Studies show toilets are, unsurprisingly, a hotspot for germs. Three of the most common are E.coli, salmonella and norovirus, all of which can trigger painful, and occasionally deadly, stomach bugs that lead to vomiting and diarrhoea.

This is because these bugs are found in faeces, which can get on to hands through the process of going to the toilet.

‘It’s not just the process of wiping or touching your genitals,’ explains Prof Bloomfield. ‘These particles

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