In 2020, the coronavirus pandemic overshadowed these hygiene measures. Masks, social distancing, and especially hand hygiene were on the agenda. In general, the population's knowledge of basic or daily hygiene has improved.
At the end of 2023, after the coronavirus pandemic was officially declared over, a major German newspaper ran the headline "No desire to wash hands. The article cited a study by the SRH University of Applied Sciences in Heidelberg, Germany, which found that the proportion of people in Germany who did not wash their hands increased by 3% after the coronavirus pandemic. The presumed reason for this is that since the end of the pandemic we are no longer confronted with the issue of hygiene (see Roos, K., 2023).
Have we not learned? Don't experts predict that pandemics similar to the coronavirus pandemic are likely to follow as a result of globalization? The most common carrier of infectious diseases are our hands. That is why it is so important to wash your hands regularly and thoroughly - for at least 20 seconds. Not only for our own protection, but also to protect those around us (see BZGA, 2018). Isn't that reason enough to develop a passion for soap and paper towel dispensers?
Soap and paper towel dispensers are everyday objects that we don't usually pay much attention to - unless they're empty. We, Clear+, have developed a simple solution to prevent this from happening. Affordable but high quality dispensers and refills for soap and paper in a convenient subscription solution.
Sources:
- BZgA, 2018: Infektionsschutz durch Hygiene, Research Report by the Federal Center for Health Education Germany, October 2018
- Roos, K. (2023): Keine Lust zum Händewaschen, Frankfurter Allgemeine, https://www.faz.net/aktuell/gesellschaft/gesundheit/haendewaschen-nach-der-pandemie-massnahmen-waren-wohl-nicht-wirksam-genug-19241329.html (viewed on 07.05.2024)
- UNICEF, https://www.unicef.org/wash/hygiene (viewed on 07.05.2024)