Before the discovery of handwashing with soap, hospitals were often places where diseases spread, instead of being cured. Doctors would go from patient to patient with dirty hands, full of bacteria and germs, and accidentally infect those they sought to cure.
Human life expectancy rose rapidly after the discovery of sanitary health practices. Only by being clean, can we avoid disease.
The earlier one can bring one's children or grandchildren into the faith, the better. For this is much like washing one's spiritual hands.
Our children suffer from sin as much as we do, but without the correct sanitation, those sins may accumulate and become contagious.

