Washing

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A woman washes her hands with soap and water. Woman washing hands.jpg
A woman washes her hands with soap and water.

Washing is a method of cleaning, usually with water and soap or detergent. Regularly washing and then rinsing both body and clothing is an essential part of good hygiene and health. [1] [2] [3]

Contents

Often people use soaps and detergents to assist in the emulsification of oils and dirt particles so they can be washed away. The soap can be applied directly, or with the aid of a washcloth or assisted with sponges or similar cleaning tools.

In social contexts, washing refers to the act of bathing, or washing different parts of the body, such as hands, hair, or faces. Excessive washing may damage the hair, causing dandruff, or cause rough skin/skin lesions. [4] [5] Some washing of the body is done ritually in religions like Christianity and Judiasm, as an act of purification.

Washing can also refer to washing objects. For example, washing of clothing or other cloth items, like bedsheets, or washing dishes or cookwear. Keeping objects clean, especially if they interact with food or the skin, can help with sanitation. Other kinds of washing focus on maintaining cleanliness and durability of objects that get dirty, such washing one's car, by lathering the exterior with car soap, or washing tools used in a dirty process.

A private home washing machine Washer.600pix.jpg
A private home washing machine

Washing bodies

People wash themselves, or bathe periodically for religious ritual or therapeutic purposes [6] or as a recreational activity.

In Europe, some people use a bidet to wash their external genitalia and the anal region after using the toilet, instead of using toilet paper. [7] The bidet is common in predominantly Catholic countries where water is considered essential for anal cleansing. [8]

More frequent is washing of just the hands, e.g. before and after preparing food and eating, after using the toilet, after handling something dirty, etc. Hand washing is important in reducing the spread of germs. [9] [10] Also common is washing the face, which is done after waking up, or to keep oneself cool during the day. Brushing one's teeth is also essential for hygiene and is a part of washing.

Ritual purification through washing includes acts like Maundy , a christian ritual involving washing of the feet, or ceremonial washing in Judaism.

Bathing

Detail of Jean-Pierre Norblin de La Gourdaine's Bath in the Park (1785) Norblin Bath in the park (detail) 02.jpg
Detail of Jean-Pierre Norblin de La Gourdaine's Bath in the Park (1785)

Bathing is the immersion of the body, wholly or partially, in a medium, usually a liquid or heated air. It may be for personal hygiene, religious ritual, or therapeutic purposes. By analogy, especially as a recreational activity, the term is also applied to sun bathing and sea bathing.

Astronaut Jack R. Lousma taking a shower in space, 1973 Showering on Skylab (9456594881).jpg
Astronaut Jack R. Lousma taking a shower in space, 1973
People bathe at a range of temperatures, according to custom or purpose, from very cold to very hot. In the western world, bathing is usually done at comfortable temperatures in a bathtub or shower. This type of bathing is done more or less daily for hygiene purposes, although it has been claimed that hot-air bathing is a more effective body cleanser than water. [11] A ritual religious bath is sometimes referred to as immersion or baptism. The use of water for therapeutic purposes can be called a water treatment or hydrotherapy. Recreational water activities are also known as swimming and paddling.

Hand washing

Hand washing (or handwashing), also known as hand hygiene, is the act of cleaning one's hands with soap or handwash and water to remove viruses/bacteria/microorganisms, dirt, grease, and other harmful or unwanted substances stuck to the hands. Drying of the washed hands is part of the process as wet and moist hands are more easily recontaminated. [12] [13] If soap and water are unavailable, hand sanitizer that is at least 60% (v/v) alcohol in water can be used as long as hands are not visibly excessively dirty or greasy. [14] [15] Hand hygiene is central to preventing the spread of infectious diseases in home and everyday life settings. [16]

The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends washing hands for at least 20 seconds before and after certain activities. [17] [18] These include the five critical times during the day where washing hands with soap is important to reduce fecal-oral transmission of disease: after using the toilet (for urination, defecation, menstrual hygiene), after cleaning a child's bottom (changing diapers), before feeding a child, before eating and before/after preparing food or handling raw meat, fish, or poultry. [19]

When neither hand washing nor using hand sanitizer is possible, hands can be cleaned with uncontaminated ash and clean water, although the benefits and harms are uncertain for reducing the spread of viral or bacterial infections. [20] However, frequent hand washing can lead to skin damage due to drying of the skin. [21] Moisturizing lotion is often recommended to keep the hands from drying out; dry skin can lead to skin damage which can increase the risk for the transmission of infection. [22]

Hair washing

Hair wash basins, backward style in a typical salon environment Cabelo-tettenhall.jpg
Hair wash basins, backward style in a typical salon environment
Hair washing in Tyumen, Russia. Virino en frizejo (Tjumeno).jpg
Hair washing in Tyumen, Russia.

Hair washing is the cosmetic act of keeping hair clean by washing it. To remove sebum from hair, some apply a surfactant, usually shampoo (sometimes soap) to their hair and lather the surfactant with water. The surfactant is rinsed out with water along with the dirt that it bonds to.

Furthermore, there are dry shampoos; powders that remove sebum from hair by soaking it up prior to being combed out. People often use dry shampoo if they would like to postpone their hair wash or simply to save time. [23]

Hair wash and dry shampoo keep the hair healthy, add volume to the hair, remove dirt and odors, and remove oils from the scalp.

Face washing

Face washing, also known as facial cleanliness or face cleansing, is the removal of dirt, germs, oil, debris, and any unwanted materials on the face, possibly with the use of soap or cleansing agent and water. These dirt or unwanted substances from cosmetic products and the environment are hardly soluble in water. The addition of face cleansing products in daily face washing can help effectively eliminate undesirable materials by breaking them down into smaller particles.

A man preparing a bucket of water to wash his face in the trenches in World War I. Tommy making his toilet (4688581328).jpg
A man preparing a bucket of water to wash his face in the trenches in World War I.
The practice of face washing originates from ancient times and possesses cultural significance. Its purpose then experiences changes and adaptations to societal developments. In humans, 4 main skin types were identified by Helena Rubinstein in the 1900s, and a variety of face washing products started to arise respective to the needs of each skin type. A person's skincare routine can employ different face washing products and techniques according to their needs. When face washing is not done well, or with unsuitable products used, possible risks can arise and affect the condition of the skin instead. Appropriate techniques can be applied to minimise any harm brought to the facial skin during face washing.

Washing items

Dishwashing

Washing dishes in Germany, 1951 Bundesarchiv Bild 183-12913-0005, Berlin, Abwaschen.jpg
Washing dishes in Germany, 1951
Dishwashing, washing the dishes, doing the dishes, or washing up in Great Britain, is the process of cleaning cooking utensils, dishes, cutlery and other items to prevent foodborne illness. [24] This is either achieved by hand in a sink using dishwashing detergent or by using a dishwasher and may take place in a kitchen, utility room, scullery or elsewhere.

Clothes washing

Laundry is hung to dry above an Italian street. Italian hanging laundry.jpg
Laundry is hung to dry above an Italian street.
A self-service laundry in Paris Laundry in Paris.jpg
A self-service laundry in Paris
Laundry in the river in Abidjan, 2006 Laundry in the river.jpg
Laundry in the river in Abidjan, 2006

Laundry is the washing of clothing and other textiles, [25] and, more broadly, their drying and ironing as well. Laundry has been part of history since humans began to wear clothes, so the methods by which different cultures have dealt with this universal human need are of interest to several branches of scholarship.

Laundry work has traditionally been highly gendered, with the responsibility in most cultures falling to women (formerly known as laundresses or washerwomen). The Industrial Revolution gradually led to mechanized solutions to laundry work, notably the washing machine and later the tumble dryer. Laundry, like cooking and child care, is still done both at home and by commercial establishments outside the home. [26]

The word "laundry" may refer to the clothing itself, or to the place where the cleaning happens. An individual home may have a laundry room; a utility room includes, but is not restricted to, the function of washing clothes. An apartment building or student hall of residence may have a shared laundry facility such as a tvättstuga . A stand-alone business is referred to as a self-service laundry (launderette in British English or laundromat in North American English).

Washing cars

A self-service car wash in Klodzko, Poland 2015 Klodzko, ul. Dusznicka, myjnia samochodowa 02.jpg
A self-service car wash in Kłodzko, Poland
A car wash in Warwick, UK Car wash, Tesco, Emscote Road, Warwick - geograph.org.uk - 1204540.jpg
A car wash in Warwick, UK
Ex Petrol station and now hand car wash in Bradford, UK Foamula Hand Car Wash - Dick Lane - geograph.org.uk - 665751.jpg
Ex Petrol station and now hand car wash in Bradford, UK
A truck wash in Savannakhet, Laos Songthaew in Savannakhet 05.jpg
A truck wash in Savannakhet, Laos
This car wash in San Bernardino, California, is an example of Googie architecture. Car Wash, San Bernardino, CA.jpg
This car wash in San Bernardino, California, is an example of Googie architecture.
A car wash, [27] or auto wash, is a facility used to clean the exterior, [28] and in some cases the interior, of cars. Car washes can be self-service, full-service (with attendants who wash the vehicle), or fully automated (possibly connected to a filling station). Car washes may also be events where people pay to have their cars washed by volunteers, often using less specialized equipment, as a fundraiser. [29]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ablution in Christianity</span> Prescribed washing

In Christianity, ablution is a prescribed washing of part or all of the body or possessions, such as clothing or ceremonial objects, with the intent of purification or dedication. In Christianity, both baptism and footwashing are forms of ablution. Prior to praying the canonical hours at seven fixed prayer times, Oriental Orthodox Christians wash their hands and face. In liturgical churches, ablution can refer to purifying fingers or vessels related to the Eucharist. In the New Testament, washing also occurs in reference to rites of Judaism part of the action of a healing by Jesus, the preparation of a body for burial, the washing of nets by fishermen, a person's personal washing of the face to appear in public, the cleansing of an injured person's wounds, Pontius Pilate's washing of his hands as a symbolic claim of innocence and foot washing, which is a rite within the Christian Churches. According to the Gospel of Matthew, Pontius Pilate declared himself innocent of the blood of Jesus by washing his hands. This act of Pilate may not, however, have been borrowed from the custom of the Jews. The same practice was common among the Greeks and Romans.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hygiene</span> Practices performed to preserve health

Hygiene is a set of practices performed to preserve health. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), "Hygiene refers to conditions and practices that help to maintain health and prevent the spread of diseases." Personal hygiene refers to maintaining the body's cleanliness. Hygiene activities can be grouped into the following: home and everyday hygiene, personal hygiene, medical hygiene, sleep hygiene, and food hygiene. Home and every day hygiene includes hand washing, respiratory hygiene, food hygiene at home, hygiene in the kitchen, hygiene in the bathroom, laundry hygiene,and medical hygiene at home.And also environmental hygiene in the society to prevent all kinds of bacterias from penetrating into our homes.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bidet</span> Plumbing fixture or type of sink intended for washing the genitalia and anus of the human body

A bidet is a bowl or receptacle designed to be sat upon in order to wash a person's genitalia, perineum, inner buttocks, and anus. The modern variety has a plumbed-in water supply and a drainage opening, and is thus a plumbing fixture subject to local hygiene regulations. The bidet is designed to promote personal hygiene and is used after defecation, and before and after sexual intercourse. It can also be used to wash feet, with or without filling it up with water. Some people even use bidets to bathe babies or pets. In several European countries, a bidet is now required by law to be present in every bathroom containing a toilet bowl. It was originally located in the bedroom, near the chamber-pot and the marital bed, but in modern times is located near the toilet bowl in the bathroom. Fixtures that combine a toilet seat with a washing facility include the electronic bidet.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ritual purification</span> Bathing or washing as a religious ritual

Ritual purification is a ritual prescribed by a religion through which a person is considered to be freed of uncleanliness, especially prior to the worship of a deity, and ritual purity is a state of ritual cleanliness. Ritual purification may also apply to objects and places. Ritual uncleanliness is not identical with ordinary physical impurity, such as dirt stains; nevertheless, body fluids are generally considered ritually unclean.

Cleanliness is both the state of being clean and free from germs, dirt, trash, or waste, and the habit of achieving and maintaining that state. Cleanliness is often achieved through cleaning. Culturally, cleanliness is usually a good quality, as indicated by the aphorism: "Cleanliness is next to Godliness", and may be regarded as contributing to other ideals such as health and beauty.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hand washing</span> Act of cleaning ones hands

Hand washing, also known as hand hygiene, is the act of cleaning one's hands with soap or handwash and water to remove viruses/bacteria/microorganisms, dirt, grease, and other harmful or unwanted substances stuck to the hands. Drying of the washed hands is part of the process as wet and moist hands are more easily recontaminated. If soap and water are unavailable, hand sanitizer that is at least 60% (v/v) alcohol in water can be used as long as hands are not visibly excessively dirty or greasy. Hand hygiene is central to preventing the spread of infectious diseases in home and everyday life settings.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bathing</span> Washing of the body with a liquid

Bathing is the immersion of the body, wholly or partially, in a medium, usually a liquid or heated air. It may be for personal hygiene, religious ritual, or therapeutic purposes. By analogy, especially as a recreational activity, the term is also applied to sun bathing and sea bathing.

The term cleanser refers to a product that cleans or removes dirt or other substances. A cleanser could be a detergent, and there are many types of cleansers that are produced with a specific objective or focus. For instance, a degreaser or carburetor cleanser used in automotive mechanics for cleaning certain engine and car parts.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hair care</span> Hygiene and cosmetology involving human hair

Hair care or haircare is an overall term for hygiene and cosmetology involving the hair which grows from the human scalp, and to a lesser extent facial, pubic and other body hair. Hair care routines differ according to an individual's culture and the physical characteristics of one's hair. Hair may be colored, trimmed, shaved, plucked or otherwise removed with treatments such as waxing, sugaring and threading. Hair care services are offered in salons, barbershops and day spas, and products are available commercially for home use. Laser hair removal and electrolysis are also available, though these are provided by licensed professionals in medical offices or speciality spas.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ritual purity in Islam</span> Essential aspect of Islam

Purity is an essential aspect of Islam. It is the opposite of najāsa, the state of being ritually impure. It is achieved by first removing physical impurities from the body, and then removing ritual impurity through wudu (usually) or ghusl.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hand sanitizer</span> Alternative to hand washing

Hand sanitizer is a liquid, gel, or foam used to kill viruses, bacteria, and other microorganisms on the hands. It can also come in the form of a cream, spray, or wipe. While hand washing with soap and water is generally preferred, hand sanitizer is a convenient alternative in settings where soap and water are unavailable. However, it is less effective against certain pathogens like norovirus and Clostridium difficile and cannot physically remove harmful chemicals. Improper use, such as wiping off sanitizer before it dries, can also reduce its effectiveness, and some sanitizers with low alcohol concentrations are less effective. Additionally, frequent use of hand sanitizer may disrupt the skin's microbiome and cause dermatitis.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Shower gel</span> Liquid products used for cleaning the body

Shower gel is a specialized liquid product used for cleaning the body during showers. Not to be confused with liquid soaps, shower gels, in fact, do not contain saponified oil. Instead, it uses synthetic detergents derived from either petroleum or plant sources.

Anal hygiene or anal cleansing refers to the practices that are performed on a person's anus to maintain hygiene, usually in the aftermath of defecation. Post-defecation cleansing is rarely discussed academically, partly due to the social taboo surrounding it. The scientific objective of post-defecation cleansing is to prevent exposure to pathogens. The process of post-defecation cleansing involves washing the anus and inner part of the buttocks with water. Water-based cleansing typically involves either the use of running water from a handheld vessel and a hand for washing or the use of pressurized water through a jet device, such as a bidet. In either method, subsequent hand sanitization is essential to achieve the ultimate objectives of post-defecation cleansing.

Personal care products are consumer products which are applied on various external parts of the body such as skin, hair, nails, lips, external genital and anal areas, as well as teeth and mucous membrane of the oral cavity, in order to make them clean, protect them from harmful germs and keep them in good condition. They promote personal hygiene and overall health, well-being and appearance of those body parts. Toiletries form a narrower category of personal care products which are used for basic hygiene and cleanliness as a part of a daily routine. Cosmetic products, in contrast, are used for personal grooming and beautification. Pharmaceutical products are not considered personal care products.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Global Handwashing Day</span> Campaign to motivate and mobilize people around the world to improve their handwashing habits

Global Hand washing Day (GHD) is an international hand washing promotion campaign to motivate and mobilize people around the world to improve their hand washing habits. Washing hands at critical points both during the day and washing with soap are important. In 2008, Global Handwashing Day was celebrated for the first time. This day aims to make people around the world aware of the importance of washing their hands with soap in order to prevent diseases and infections. To commem.orate this special day, over 120 million children in 70 countries were encouraged to practice handwashing with soap. Since then, the movement has built momentum, garnering support from various stakeholders such as governments, schools, NGOs, and private firms.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Toilet (room)</span> Room for privately accessing a toilet, and often handwashing sink

A toilet is a small room used for privately accessing the sanitation fixture (toilet) for urination and defecation. Toilet rooms often include a sink (basin) with soap/handwash for handwashing, as this is important for personal hygiene. These rooms are typically referred to in North America as half-bathrooms in a private residence.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tabo (hygiene)</span> Traditional cleaning tool in the Philippines, Indonesia, Cambodia, East Timor, Malaysia, and Brunei

The tabò is the traditional hygiene tool primarily for cleansing, bathing, and cleaning the floor of the bathroom in the Philippines, Indonesia, East Timor, Malaysia, Vietnam and Brunei. Tabò is the Filipino name, while gayung and cebok are the equivalent terms used in Indonesia, Brunei, Malaysia, and East Timor. Its Vietnamese name is thau tắm or chậu nước. The tabò could most commonly be in found rural areas though it is also widely used in cities. The word may be related to the word cebok in Indonesia and Malaysia, which describes the process of cleansing oneself using a tabò in a mandi.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hygiene in Christianity</span> Regulations regarding cleanliness in Christianity

In some denominations of Christianity, there are a number of regulations involving cleanliness before prayer, observing days of ritual purification, as well as those concerning diet and apparel. The Bible has many rituals of purification in areas ranging from the mundane private rituals of personal hygiene and toilet etiquette to the complex public rituals of social etiquette.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Face washing</span> Personal hygiene practice

Face washing, also known as facial cleanliness or face cleansing, is the removal of dirt, germs, oil, debris, and any unwanted materials on the face, possibly with the use of soap or cleansing agent and water. These dirt or unwanted substances from cosmetic products and the environment are hardly soluble in water. The addition of face cleansing products in daily face washing can help effectively eliminate undesirable materials by breaking them down into smaller particles.

References

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