hand wash

English

Etymology 1

hand +‎ wash (noun)

Alternative forms

• hand-wash

Noun

hand wash (countable and uncountable, plural hand washes)

1. (countable and uncountable) Alternative form of handwash (“liquid soap”).
   • 1992, Leo Palladino, June Hunt, “Guidelines to Hygienic Manicuring”, in The Nail File, Basingstoke, Hants.: Macmillan Education Ltd, →ISBN, part two (Fact File), page 118:

     If disinfectant hand washes are used remember they are inactivated by soap.

   • 2011, Kate Harrison, “Grazia”, in The Secret Shopper Affair, London: Orion Books, →ISBN, page 132:

     The ornate four-poster bed is made up in lacy fabric, there are towels in the bathroom, along with full bottles of hand wash and body lotion.

2. (countable) An instance of washing one’s hands.

   Synonym: handwashing

   • 1985, Claire A. Franklin, “Occupational Exposure to Pesticides and Its Role in Risk Assessment Procedures Used in Canada”, in Richard C. Honeycutt, Gunter Zweig, Nancy N. Ragsdale, editors, Dermal Exposure Related to Pesticide Use: Discussion of Risk Assessment (ACS Symposium Series; 273), Washington, D.C.: American Chemical Society, →ISBN, page 433:

     Davis (11) compared hand exposures of apple thinners using gloves and hand washes. He found that hand exposures obtained by rinsing were significantly lower than those obtained by using either cotton or nylon gloves.

   • 1992, Frank Tallis, “The Development of Obsessions and Compulsions, and How to Assess Your Symptoms”, in Understanding Obsessions and Compulsions: A Self-Help Manual (Overcoming Common Problems), London: Sheldon Press, →ISBN, page 30:

     He had intrusive thoughts about people suffering from diseases which he was personally responsible for spreading. At first, several hand washes were enough to reduce his anxiety; however, he began to feel that simply washing his hands was not enough.

   • 1996, Manfred L. Rotter, “Hand Washing and Hand Disinfection”, in C. Glen Mayhall, editor, Hospital Epidemiology and Infection Control, Baltimore, Md.: Williams & Wilkins, →ISBN, section XIV (Organization and Implementation of Infection Control Programs), page 1059, column 2:

     If performed with a suitable antiseptic, the surgical hand rub is very efficient in reducing the skin flora and hands need not be dried afterward. It lacks, however, the cleaning function provided by a surgical hand wash. […] Surgical hand rubs are performed by pouring small volumes of a suitable antiseptic, usually an alcohol preparation, into the cupped dry hands, rubbing it onto the entire surface of hands and forearms, keeping them wet for the scheduled time by adding further portions as necessary, and carrying out wash movements. […] Surgical hand washes are performed with antiseptic detergents according to the instructions of the manufacturer. Drying hands with sterile towels or drapes is usually necessary before donning surgical gloves.

   • 2008, Frank M. Pierson, Sheryl L. Fairchild, “ Hand Hygiene”, in Principles & Techniques of Patient Care, 4th edition, St. Louis, Mo.: Saunders, →ISBN, page 33, column 2:

     Hand washing for 15 to 30 seconds using ordinary soap and water will remove transient bacteria from the hands due to the mechanical action of the friction while rubbing and scrubbing during the wash. Hand washes are frequently required before entering an intensive care unit (ICU) or operating suite.

   • 2009, Judith A. Challis, “Sterilization; Disinfection, and Antisepsis”, in Emanuel Goldman, Lorrence H. Green, editors, Practical Handbook of Microbiology, 2nd edition, Boca Raton, Fla.: CRC Press, →ISBN, part I (Practical Information and Procedures for Bacteriology), page 8:

     Cooper et al. [20] found that even small increases in the frequency of effective hand washes were enough to bring endemic nosocomial infective organisms under control in a computer model. Raboud et al. [21], using a Monte-Carlo simulation, determined factors that would reduce transmission of nosocomial infection. The factors that were relevant included reducing the nursing patient load from 4.3 (day) and 6.8 (night) to 3.8 (day) and 5.7 (night), increasing the hand washing rates for visitors, and screening patients for methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) upon admission.

   • 2010, Helen Cheney, “Control of infection”, in Ethel Trigg, Toby Aslam Mohammed, editors, Practices in Children’s Nursing: Guidelines for Hospital and Community, 3rd edition, Edinburgh: Churchill Livingstone, →ISBN, section 1 (Introductory topics), page 46, column 2:

     Sneddon’s (1990) study demonstrated that Gram-negative organisms were isolated from 44% of nurses’ hands before washing and from 12% after washing; 40% of hands sampled after dirty activity and 25% after clean activity were contaminated. Only 52% of the hand washes were considered good. Pittet et al (1999) reported that hand hygiene decreased with higher workload and higher-risk patients. Increasing hand hygiene frequency and effective procedure among hospital staff has been associated with a decrease in hospital-acquired infection (Pittet et al 2000).

   • 2015, Leslie J. Shapiro, “Taking Control Where You Can and Must”, in Understanding OCD: Skills to Control the Conscience and Outsmart Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, Santa Barbara, Calif.: Praeger, →ISBN, part III (“You Want Me to Do What?”), page 119:

     Because handwashing rituals ran through many daily tasks, her exposure was designed to target this behavior rather than moving through the specific situations. We reviewed when and how hand washes were done legitimately for religious and functional purposes.

3. (countable) An instance of washing something by hand.
   • 1961 September, Edwin G. Sutcliffe, “Now a Permanent Flat-Press for Worsted!”, in Textile Industries, Atlanta, Ga.: W. R. C. Smith Publishing Co., page 109, column 3:

     FIG. 2. Results of giving a hand wash to worsted fabric.

   • 1969 October 14, Westinghouse, “The end of hand washing”, in The Lincoln Star, 68th year, number 11, Lincoln, Neb., page 7:

     See the Westinghouse washer with exclusive hand-wash action at your Westinghouse dealer. You’ll never do a hand wash again.

   • 1986, Robert Appel, “When Shopping for Service”, in The Car Owner’s Survival Guide, New York, N.Y.: Fawcett Columbine, Ballantine Books, →ISBN, page 112:

     Hand wash. Nothing could be simpler, right? Wrong. There are dozens of ways to do a hand wash—and even the experts don’t agree on all points.

   • 1999 July, Eric Hamovitch, “Rapa Nui (Easter Island)”, in Chile, Montreal, Que.: Ulysses Travel Publications, →ISBN, page 312, column 2:

     Cooking and laundry facilities for doing hand washes are available.

Etymology 2

hand +‎ wash (verb)

Alternative forms

• hand-wash, handwash

Verb

hand wash (third-person singular simple present hand washes, present participle hand washing, simple past and past participle hand washed)

1. (transitive) To wash by hand.

   Coordinate terms: machine-wash, machine wash

   hand wash only; tumble dry low

Related terms