General Tips

HANDWASHING 101
HOW TO PROPERLY WASH YOUR HANDS

Since the time you were a little kid and your mother reminded you to wash up before you came to the dinner table, you've been washing your hands. So how is it possible that you've been doing it wrong all this time?

The simple truth is, many of us fail to wash our hands properly. We spend too little time under the faucet to remove microbial contaminants, and the technique we use is often inadequate at protecting ourselves from germs. Here are some tips to protect yourself from disease by making your handwashing more effective:

• Use warm water
• Wet your hands before applying soap to avoid irritation
• Rub your hands together vigorously – merely placing them under running water is not enough to do an adequate job
• Continue rubbing vigorously for about 15 seconds
• Some recommend helping children gauge their hand washing time by using a memory aid, like singing the alphabet
• Make sure to scrub both sides of the hands, around the thumbs, between the fingers and under the nails
• Rinse with clean water
• Dry thoroughly, and use a clean towel or paper towel – thorough drying is essential, because 1,000 times as many germs spread from damp hands than dry ones
• When in public, avoid direct contact with restroom surfaces that others may have touched, especially the knob on hand-crank models of towel dispensers