By Emily Murray

In a society where greeting others is done largely with a hand shake, the findings of recent study may leave some hesitant to   extend their hand.

Michigan researchers observed 3,749 people discretely as they washed their hands in public restrooms. After viewing this, they concluded that a mere 5% of people actually wash their hands with enough soap to kill germs and long enough for the soap to work. What’s more is that 33% of the hand washers didn’t use soap and 10% didn’t wash at all.

So how long is the long enough to kill germs? Longer than you probably think!

The CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) advises scrubbing the entire upper and lower surfaces of the hand with soap for a full 20 seconds before washing it off.

So what’s the average time spent washing?

Nearly 95% wash their hands for 6 seconds.

In the battle of the sexes, women have men beat in the hand washing department. When women were observed, 78% washed their hands in comparison to only 50% of men. Additionally of those men who did wash only 50% used soap.

When we think of the many illnesses that are out there, neglecting one of the main ways we can keep ourselves healthy is a big deal.