PA
A study of children and parents' hand hygiene has thrown up some pretty grim results.
The study - undertaken by Initial Hygiene - found that a staggering 40 per cent of children 'don't always wash their hands with soap after using toilet' and a stonkingly shocking three quarters 'don't before every meal'.
Boys' mitts were found to be dirtier than girls' (are we surprised?) and eight year olds were revealed as having the grubbiest paws of all.
Despite this, 90 per cent of mum and dads said they thought children could be TOO hygienic!
The survey concluded that parents could be taking risks with their kids' health by not making them wash their hands properly and often - with the company's research finding that mums and dads were being too lax in enforcing basic hygiene checks.
Dr Peter Barratt, technical manager of Initial Washroom Hygiene said the results of the survey worried him.
"Parents' belief that their children may be 'too hygienic' is alarming," he said, "Some of the bacteria and viruses which can be carried on hands can have serious consequences. Many common pathogens can be carried on hands, from Staphylococcus and E. Coli to norovirus and influenza.
"Regularly washing hands with soap and water has been proven to reduce the risk of spreading these types of pathogens, and so it is up to parents to educate their children on how hand-washing can help them stay fit and healthy."
The researchers quizzed more than 1,000 parents and 500 children about their hand-washing habits, and 50 of the children were screened for viruses or bacteria on their hands.
Do we REALLY need to be told this?