Global Handwashing Day, sometimes called World Handwashing Day, is a special day celebrated each year on October 15th to remind everyone about the simple act of washing hands with soap and water.
Our hands touch a lot of things throughout the day—door handles, money, pets, and even our own faces. In our modern lifestyle, we also constantly use computer keyboards, touch screens, and smartphones, which can quickly pile up germs. If we don’t wash our hands properly, these germs can easily make their way into our bodies, leading to illnesses like colds, flu, or even more serious infections.
I recommend you to watch the Japanese video that went viral a few years ago. It demonstrates how quickly germs can spread. In the video, participants in a buffet setting unknowingly come into contact with a fluorescent substance representing germs, which shows how easily these “germs” transfer to various surfaces and people. This visual experiment highlights the importance of handwashing in preventing the spread of infectious diseases.
Washing your hands is a super easy way to protect yourself and your loved ones. It’s especially important nowadays, with global virus outbreaks happening more often. A good wash with soap and water can prevent the spread of these germs and keep everyone safer.
Imagine if everyone took just 20 seconds to wash their hands before eating, after using the bathroom, or after coughing or sneezing. It’s such a small effort, but it can make a huge difference in keeping communities healthy.
So, on Global Handwashing Day, let’s remember to lather up and scrub those germs away! The official hashtag for this day is #GlobalHandwashingDay.
Other important things to know about this day:
- Started in 2008: Global Handwashing Day was established by the Global Handwashing Partnership to promote handwashing with soap as a key approach to disease prevention.
- Educational Events: Schools, communities, and organizations around the world often host events and activities to teach proper handwashing techniques and the importance of hygiene.
- Global Participation: People from all over the world participate, making it a truly global effort to improve health and hygiene.
By taking part in Global Handwashing Day, we contribute to a healthier world, one handwash at a time.
Before You Go:
We have many more national days lists for you to explore.
- Food-related national days: complete list of national food days, pasta & noodles days, vegan & vegetarian days, mushroom days, ice-cream days, pizza days, coffee days, chocolate days, wine days, alcohol & drinking days.
- Non-food national days: National Days Calendar 2025 (check out the printable calendars in my Etsy shop), National Days for Teachers, and a wide array of special lists such as cat days, dog days, animal days, cleaning & organizing days, book days, music days, family & relationships days, national days for women, stationery days and even Harry Potter days.
- Country-specific national days: Australian national days, more coming soon.
