Wash Your Hands!

Handwashing is one of the most effective ways to prevent the spread of many types of infection and illness. Clean hands can stop germs from spreading from one person to another and throughout an entire community.

You should wash your hands:

•     Before, during, and after preparing food
•     Before eating food
•     Before and after caring for someone who is sick
•     Before and after treating a cut or wound
•     After using the toilet
•     After changing diapers or cleaning up a child who has used the toilet
•     After blowing your nose, coughing, or sneezing
•     After touching an animal, animal feed, or animal waste
•     After touching garbage

The right way to wash your hands:

• Wet your hands with clean running water (warm or cold) and apply soap.
• Rub your hands together to make a lather and scrub them well; be sure to scrub the backs of your hands, between your fingers, and under your nails.
• Continue rubbing your hands for at least 20 seconds. Need a timer? Hum the "Happy Birthday" song from beginning to end twice.
• Rinse your hands well under running water.
• Dry your hands using a clean towel or air dry.

Washing hands with soap and water is the best way to reduce the number of germs on them. If soap and water are not available, use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer that contains at least 60% alcohol. Alcohol-based hand sanitizers can quickly reduce the number of germs on hands in some situations, but sanitizers do not eliminate all types of germs. Hand sanitizers are not effective when hands are visibly dirty.

The right way to use hand sanitizers:

•     Apply the product to the palm of one hand.
•     Rub your hands together.
•     Rub the product over all surfaces of your hands and fingers until your hands are dry.

 

Wash Your Hands. Retrieved Febuary 6th, 2012 from http://www.cdc.gov/features/handwashing/