Personal Hygiene : Trimmed and Proper Nails

Taking good care of your nails and maintaining their cleanliness is very important. As many people talk with their hands they are often seen by many and represented to others an overall picture of our personal hygiene.Appropriate hand hygiene includes diligently cleaning and trimming fingernails, which may harbor dirt and germs and can contribute to the spread of some infections, such as pinworms. Fingernails should be kept short, and the undersides should be cleaned frequently with soap and water. Because of their length, longer fingernails can harbor more dirt and bacteria than short nails, thus potentially contributing to the spread of infection.

Microbe Generally Found Underneath the Fingernails

Bacteria	Fungus	Yeast
Pseudomonas	Trichophyton	Candida
Staphylococcus	Epidermophyton	Rhodotorula
Acinetobacter	Acremonium
Enterobacter	Aspergillus
Klebsiella	Scopulariopsis
Aeromonas	Cladosporium
Serratia

1) Long nails should be cut regularly while handling food and preparing it.

2) Painted nails are not allowed in the kitchen as it acts as a hazard while cooking and handling food.

3) Never rip or bite a hangnail. Instead, clip it with a clean, sanitized nail trimmer.With short clean nails , cooking is a easy job. Along with that, infections is prevented from long nails.

Different Conditions of the Hand

Unwashed Hands

Contain the natural microflora or resident bacteria and microbes and the transient bacteria from the objects that the hands come in contact with. When the hands are unwashed, there are millions and millions of bacteria living and growing on it.

Rinsed Hands

If hands are rinsed with cold water only some large particles of dust and some bacteria is removed but the main majority of pathogens are still there.

Washed Hands

Washing hands with soap and water reduces the number of transient bacteria. It is important to remember that it is more beneficial to use soap that is more acidic because the natural ph of hands is acidic. Therefore, the microflora of the hands will not be harmed.

Sanitized Hands

When the hands is sanitized, the growth of the bacteria on the hands is stopped and therefore, the majority of the bacteria will be gone.

Effect of Sanitzers Vary

Depending on a person’s normal activities or the job he/she does, the physical conditions of the hands will differ and therefore, the types of bacteria living on the hand will also differ. Ex: Food workers generally have wet hands and their hands are often contaminated with foods in high proteins and fatty acids. This would reduce the effectiveness of the alcohol gel of sanitizers.In addition, the type of soil on a hand affect the significance of sanitizers. Dirt, food, or anything on the hand can make alcohol in sanitizers less effective