The best and easiest way to prevent the spread of infection and illness is by washing your hands!
Washing your hands is the most effective way to prevent the spread of many types of infections and illnesses in all settings, from your home and workplace to child care facilities and hospitals. Clean hands can stop germs from spreading from one person to another and throughout an entire community.
Below are some tips for washing your hands from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to keep you and your family healthy throughout the year:
When should you 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 restroom
- After changing diapers or cleaning up a child who has used the restroom
- After blowing your nose, coughing, or sneezing
- After touching an animal, animal feed, or animal waste
- After touching garbage
What is the right way to wash your hands?
- Wet your hands with clean, running water and apply soap.
- Lather your hands by rubbing them together with the soap. Be sure to lather the backs of your hands, between your fingers, your wrists and under your nails.
- Scrub your hands for at least 20 seconds (about how long it takes to hum the “Happy Birthday” song twice from beginning to end).
- Rinse your hands well under clean, running water.
- Dry your hands using a clean, dry paper towel. Discard that towel and use another clean, dry paper towel to turn off the faucet.
- Use a clean, dry paper towel to open bathroom doors.
What should you do if you don’t have soap and clean, running water?
Washing hands with soap and water is the best way to reduce the number of microbes on them in most situations. 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 microbes on hands in some situations, but sanitizers DO NOT eliminate all types of germs.
Hand sanitizers may not be as effective when hands are visibly dirty or greasy.
What is the proper way to use hand sanitizers?
- Apply the correct amount of hand sanitizer 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.
Remember: CLEAN HANDS SAVE LIVES!
