20 Seconds

It’s simple math – 20 seconds is equal to exactly 1⁄3 of a minute. Or if you prefer fractions, it’s approximately 33.3% of a minute.

Sometimes 20 seconds can seem like a really long time – like in the CPT scene in the Season 5 episode, Stress Relief, of the popular sitcom, “The Office.” The main characters, employees of the Dunder Mifflin Paper Company, receive professional training on how to do CPR using a mannequin. The iconic character, Kevin Malone from the accounting department quickly gets winded trying to give CPR and famously says,

“I can’t ‘ keep doing this forever. It’s been 20 seconds. Call it”

The Covid-19 pandemic raised awareness of not only the importance of handwashing, but also spending at least 20 seconds scrubbing our hands. Studies show that it takes 20 seconds of handwashing with soap and water to reduce your risk of catching germs and from spreading them. And it’s easy to time 20 seconds by simply singing a verse of a song. Click here for some musical suggestions!

One more thing – a bit of handwashing historical trivia! Did you know that handwashing was not always recognized as a means to reduce the spread of disease? In fact, it wasn’t until the 1980s that hand hygiene was officially incorporated into American health care with the first national hand hygiene guidelines. Be sure to check out Germ Buster for more on handwashing as National Handwashing Awareness Week kicks off on December 3rd!

Happy Reading!

Suzanne Daniels