Wash Your Hands! With the Help of These Japanese Stickers

Nationwide Culture News

2020.04.23

We've heard a lot about these handy, Japanese, so-called virus stickers lately.

As the coronavirus outbreak continues, people all over the world are getting to work brainstorming preventative measures of all kinds. While we're all hoping the researchers and scientists of the world will be able to develop a vaccine, the ultimate preventative measure, there are also some smaller inventions that might come in handy in the meantime. Of course, Japan being known for some unique inventions, it wasn't surprising to find this clever little idea...

That is terrifyingly referred to as a sticker where "you must wash your hands after you touch it." They say the effect is irrefutable, but totally harmless to the body.

And well... they might be overselling it a bit. If you're imagining sticky residues or some kind of brainwashing, you're overthinking it. The secret to this handwashing sticker is just... the design printed on it.

That's right, you could say the idea is far too simple: place a sticker on a doorknob, banister, or elevator button and the eye-catching design will remind people they need to wash and disinfect their hands. Most of us just need a little reminder sometimes!

The idea comes from Mazu Jibun, a blog that's been posting lots of COVID-19 safety tips and lifehacks throughout recent months. The blog post includes PDF (and PowerPoint) versions of the illustration, so you can print your own stickers-that-make-you-wash-your-hands on sticker paper, and use them wherever it seems appropriate. (Perhaps if we put some on our faces we'll be able to stop touching those, too...)

If the stickers seem far too simple, try them out and see how effective just a little reminder every now and then can be! Until we finally have a vaccine in our hands, or at least a pair of glasses that let us see the microscopic virus, we'll just have to make do! Stay safe!