Illustration of washing hands

Washing your hands with soap and hot water has long been the formula for removing germs. It turns out, you can get the same results using cold water. A Rutgers study, which was published in the Journal of Food Protection, found that water temperature has no bearing on the effectiveness of eliminating bacteria. The findings are significant for the restaurant and food industries, which follow the U.S. Food and Drug Administration guideline of having plumbing that delivers water at 100 degrees Fahrenheit for handwashing.

— Robin Lally