Restroom and Break Room Hand Hygiene: Getting People to Actually Wash

Most people think they wash their hands at work. Watch a restroom for an hour and you will see something else. A quick rinse. No soap. A wet hand on the door handle on the way out. Then that same hand goes into the shared snack bowl in the break room.

This post is for office managers, facility leads and whoever keeps the supply closet stocked. It covers when people should wash, how to do it right in about 20 seconds, and how to set up the sinks and the break room so washing is the easy choice.

Why the restroom and break room matter most

An office runs on shared surfaces. Faucet handles, paper towel levers, the coffee pot, the fridge door, the microwave buttons. Everyone touches them. A big share of the day’s germs passes through two rooms: the restroom and the break room.

Handwashing works. The CDC says it cuts the number of people who get sick with diarrhea by 23 to 40 percent. It cuts colds and other respiratory illness in the general population by 16 to 21 percent. That is a lot of sick days saved by a small habit.

The habit is the hard part. The CDC estimates that worldwide, only about 19 percent of people wash their hands after using the toilet. Your office probably does better than that. It probably does not do as well as you think.

When to wash at work

The CDC lists key times to wash hands. These are the ones that come up in an office:

• After using the restroom.
• Before and after eating.
• Before, during and after preparing food in the break room.
• After blowing your nose, coughing or sneezing.
• After touching garbage, including emptying the break-room trash or recycling.
• Before and after treating a cut, and before and after caring for someone who is sick.

Shared gear is not on the CDC list by name. Still, after the conference-room remote, a shared keyboard or the copier, clean hands are a good idea before you eat or touch your face.

How to wash: the 20-second routine

The CDC’s steps are short:

• Wet your hands with clean, running water. Turn off the tap and apply soap.
• Lather the backs of your hands, between your fingers and under your nails.
• Scrub for at least 20 seconds. That is about two rounds of “Happy Birthday.”
• Rinse well under clean, running water.
• Dry with a clean towel or an air dryer.

Most people skip the scrub. They lather for five seconds and rinse. The 20 seconds is where the soap does its work, so that is the part to coach.

Set up the sink so people actually use it

You cannot make adults wash. You can make it easy and pleasant. A few things help:

• Never let the soap run out. An empty dispenser turns the restroom into a rinse-only stop. Check levels on a schedule, not when someone complains.
• Put soap at every sink, including the break-room sink. Many people wash before lunch only if soap is right there.
• Keep towels stocked and put a trash can near the door. People can open the door with the towel and toss it.
• Pick a soap people like. If it smells strong or leaves hands tight and dry, people use less of it, or skip it.
• Post a small sign with the five steps at eye level over the sink. Short and plain works best.

We built the I.C. Antibacterial Hand Cleaner for this spot. It uses benzalkonium chloride (BZK) and kills 99.99% of germs. It has no harsh solvents and no drying alcohol, and it is fragrance free. It is NSF registered (E2), which is handy if your break room doubles as a kitchen.

Pair it with a 32 oz refillable wall dispenser, automatic or manual. It has a level window, so whoever checks the restroom can see at a glance when it needs a refill. A hidden lock keeps it from walking off.

The break room: wash first, sanitizer second

Be straight with your team about what the science says. The CDC says soap and water is the best option in most situations. When soap and water are not handy, the CDC’s backup is an alcohol-based hand sanitizer with at least 60 percent alcohol.

The CDC also says sanitizer may not work as well when hands are visibly dirty or greasy. So in the break room, the sink comes first. Sanitizer is for the times you cannot get to one: back at your desk, after the elevator, after a shared keyboard.

Some offices choose an alcohol-free sanitizer for those spots. The reasons are practical. Alcohol rubs are flammable, so big stocks run into fire-code storage limits. Some people find alcohol drying and stop using it. Some workplaces simply do not want alcohol on the shelf.

If that is you, the I.C. Alcohol-Free Foaming Hand Sanitizer uses BZK instead of alcohol. It kills 99.99% of germs in as little as 15 seconds. It is non-flammable, fragrance free and quick drying, and it is NSF registered (E3). It is a backup to washing, not a replacement for it.

A simple plan for the week

• Monday: check every soap dispenser and towel supply. Refill before you leave.
• Every day: whoever opens the break room checks the soap at that sink.
• Every month: replace faded handwashing signs. Fresh signs get read. Old ones turn into wallpaper.
• Winter months: put a sanitizer pump at each desk cluster and remind people to wash before lunch.

Washing is one part of the picture. Shared desks, keyboards and phones need a routine too. Our office hand hygiene page covers the full setup, and Field Notes: Office shows how germs travel from one door handle to half the floor.

FAQ

Do we still need soap if we have sanitizer everywhere?

Yes. The CDC says soap and water is the best option in most situations, and sanitizer may not work as well on dirty or greasy hands. Put sanitizer where there is no sink. Keep soap at every sink.

Is an alcohol-free sanitizer what the CDC recommends?

No. When soap and water are not available, the CDC recommends a sanitizer with at least 60 percent alcohol. Offices that pick alcohol-free foam usually do it for fire-code, storage or skin-comfort reasons. Either way, washing comes first.

Does an antibacterial soap mean we can skip the 20 seconds?

No. The scrub matters with any soap. Lather the backs of the hands, between the fingers and under the nails, and keep going for 20 seconds before you rinse.

Sources

• CDC, About Handwashing (key times and steps): https://www.cdc.gov/clean-hands/about/index.html
• CDC, Handwashing Facts (illness reduction, 19% global handwashing after the toilet): https://www.cdc.gov/clean-hands/data-research/facts-stats/index.html
• CDC, Hand Sanitizer Guidelines and Recommendations (60% alcohol, dirty or greasy hands): https://www.cdc.gov/clean-hands/about/hand-sanitizer.html
• R&R Lotion product data: I.C. Antibacterial Hand Cleaner (benzalkonium chloride 0.13%, NSF E2); I.C. Alcohol-Free Foaming Hand Sanitizer Drug Facts (benzalkonium chloride 0.10%, NSF E3) and 15-second time-kill study.