It just makes sense: Keeping your hands clean is an easy way to keep yourself healthy. You don't have to get obsessive about it to make hand washing effective. The key is when you wash your hands, do it properly. When done right, hand washing is the first line of defense for warding off sickness.
Another key is to wash your hands when it makes sense to. For example, any time you have shaken hands with people or touched things that many other people have been touching, wash your hands. Handling money and using a shopping cart are two situations that beg for a good hand washing.
Apply Water and Soap to Hands
Begin by wetting your hands.The American Red Cross suggests using warm water. However, Mary Seyler, former president of the Lehigh Valley (Pa.) Safety Council, states that in her work with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, it was determined that "it doesn't matter whether the water is warm or cold." Sometimes people may make the water too hot, thinking that they are making a better effort at killing germs. This can lead to burns.
Make sure your hands are thoroughly wet with water. Then apply soap to the hands. The Red Cross suggests using liquid soap. A dollop the diameter of a quarter is sufficient.
Rub Hands Together
Seyler says it is important to rub your hands together until a good, soapy lather forms. Do not rinse the hands off during this step. Rather, continue rubbing your hands together for 15 to 20 seconds. An easy way to time 15 to 20 seconds is to sing the Happy Birthday song twice in your head.
Germs need to be removed from under the fingernails as well. In the absence of a nail brush, rub your nails against the opposite palm.
Rinse
After 15 to 20 seconds, it is time to rinse the soap from the hands. Rinse under the stream of water until all residual soap is off the hands. The hands should not be slippery from soap at this point.
Dry Hands
Use a paper towel to dry your hands. Cloth towels, used repeatedly for drying, will be somewhat damp and will harbor germs over time.
Turn Off Water
Using the paper towel that you dried your hands with, turn the faucet off without actually touching the faucet with your clean hands. Everyone who used that faucet to wash their hands had dirty hands when they touched it to turn it on. Therefore, germs may be in high concentration on the faucet handle.
References
- "First Aid/CPR/AED for the Workplace;" Skill Sheet: Washing Hands; The American National Red Cross; 2006
- Mary Seyler; former president, Lehigh Valley Safety Council; Philadelphia, PA
