Americans Wash Hands Now More Than Ever

Didn’t your mother always tell you to wash your hands? Well, it seems America is listening. According to a discreet study sponsored by the American Society for Microbiology and the American Cleaning Institute, 85 percent of American adults wash their hands in public restaurants—the highest number since the studies began in 1996. Women are the cleanliest, scrubbing 93 percent of the time, compared with 77 percent for men. Meanwhile, a whopping 96 percent of adults wash their hands in public restrooms. The study surveyed 6,028 adults in public restrooms throughout August, with researchers observing six locations in four cities: Atlanta’s Turner Field, Chicago’s Museum of Science and Industry as well as the Shedd Aquarium, New York’s Grand Central Terminal and Penn Station, and San Francisco’s Ferry Terminal Farmer’s Market. San Francisco and Chicago took first in bathroom hygiene, with 89 percent of adults washing their hands, followed by Atlanta with 82 percent.