How To Wash Your Hands One-Handed

December 15, 2011 — 8 Comments

Even though I only have one, I still call it “washing my hands.” To this day, nobody’s called me a liar.

These days, washing my hands is pretty simple. The only problem I run into on a fairly regular basis is splash-back. Especially in public restrooms. Usually the water pressure is set to fire-hose levels, so that combined with the fact that I have to lean-in a bit more to wash my left elbow leads to water-speckled pants. Usually in the groinal area, which is outstanding.

Now, in days of yore, there used to be those faucets where you had to press down on the knobs and then the water would stay on for, like, .7 seconds at a time. Those are hard for people with two hands to use. Try using them with one! I’d hit that knob, then wash, then hit the knob, then wash, etc. etc. Sometimes I’d try to hold the hot one down with my left elbow. Yeah, that never worked.

I’m thankful that phase in faucet manufacturing is over.

By the way, I don’t always wash my hands as if I’m about to perform open heart surgery. Sheesh.

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Ryan

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I'm a husband, a father, an author, a speaker, a friend...all kinds of things, actually.

8 responses to How To Wash Your Hands One-Handed

  1. Ryan, do you find that the skin on your stump dries out a lot faster than your hand? My son’s does, and he gets annoyed with me always wanting to put lotion on him, so I’ve been trying to find less drying hand soap. The liquid Dr. Broner’s Baby Mild soap (diluted 50/50 with water in a foaming pump) has been helping. Maybe its not much of an issue with you, but with Noah, his skin gets so dry on his arm that it starts to sting and then he won’t let me put lotion on it. (Whiney five year-old. Not fun!) 😉

    • I HAVE noticed that! My elbow gets extremely dry and the end of my arm is the same. I really never thought about using different soap. I just use lotion, like you try to get Noah to do. Being a kid is tough! 🙂

  2. Loved the video. I use my hemiplegic hand the same way you use the end of your upper arm.

  3. Dolores Eldridge January 28, 2018 at 6:22 pm

    My brother lost his arm in a construction accident. I have been looking for something to help him wash the hand on the arm he still has.

  4. Thank you so much for this video Ryan!
    I recently broke my arm and sprained my wrist on my dominant hand/arm. I am totally unable to use it until the cast is off and after physical therapy. Meanwhile I have had a lot of trouble washing my hands properly during this coronavirus pandemic. When I watched your video I realised I could use the elbow of my dominant arm to help me wash my available hand. I so appreciate that you did this for us! Thank you again.

  5. Thanks for this video. I work with a Teen that only has control of one hand and want him to remain healthy as I have seen him only ‘wet’ his hand and not wash. I will be able to take this and help him.

  6. I’m not one handed, but I only have the use of one hand while the other is in a cast. How does the internet throughly to get grease or grime off your usual hand?

    PS my phone is very dirty now

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