Hot or Not? Water Temperature May Not Matter When It Comes to Washing Your Hands

​Washing one's hands in cool water removed the same amount of bacteria as doing so in warm water, according to a study published June 2017 in the Journal of Food Protection. High levels of a nonpathogenic bacteria were placed on the hands of 20 participants several times during a six-month study period, and subjects were asked to wash their hands using either a "bland" (nonantimicrobial) soap or an antimicrobial soap under water heated to 60°F, 79°F, and 100°F.