Nobody Warned Me How Hard Washing My Hands Would Be With One Hand

Washing Your Hands

The Problem

Okay, this was the first one-handed task that made me realize I wasn't in Kansas anymore. And honestly? This one grossed me out.

Think about how you normally wash your hands. You get them wet, add soap, rub both hands together, work up a good lather, get between your fingers, scrub your fingernails, wash the backs of your hands, and rinse.

Now remove one hand from the equation.

Suddenly you're trying to rub your fingers against your palm to create a little bit of lather. Getting between your fingers becomes awkward. The backs of your hands are difficult to clean. And don't even get me started on fingernails.

Every time I washed my hand, I felt like I was losing an argument with soap.

Why It Matters

Handwashing is something we do dozens of times a day without thinking about it.

When it suddenly becomes difficult, you're constantly reminded of your injury. Worse, you start second-guessing whether you're actually getting your hands clean. It's a small thing, but it becomes a surprisingly frustrating source of stress throughout the day.

The Workaround

The best solution I found was surprisingly simple: a washcloth.

Get the washcloth wet and apply liquid soap directly to the cloth. Once it develops a good lather, place it on the sink and rub your hand against it.

Because the cloth stays stationary, it acts like a second hand. You can scrub your palm, fingers, and even the back of your hand by flipping your hand over and rubbing against the cloth.

A few things I learned:

• Fold the washcloth once or twice after lathering it. This creates a thicker surface that presses into the grooves of your skin.

• Terry cloth washcloths work best. The textured loops help clean under your fingernails and between your fingers.

• Don't be surprised if it takes several pumps of soap to get a good lather. Terry cloth is absorbent.

• Hang the cloth to dry between uses, but expect to go through washcloths fairly quickly.

The biggest downside is laundry. I usually replaced the cloth every couple of uses, which meant I was constantly washing washcloths.

On the bright side, if the whole arm recovery thing didn't work out, I was well on my way to opening a washcloth store.

Key Takeaway

One-handed living often requires a shift in thinking.

Instead of trying to replace your missing hand, look for ways to use your environment as a second hand. In this case, a simple washcloth transformed handwashing from a frustrating and unsanitary experience into a manageable routine.

The solution wasn't strength, dexterity, or an expensive gadget. It was finding a way to make the environment do some of the work for me.