Overview
If you remember being scolded as a child for not washing your hands, chances are your parents or caretakers had a good reason. Harmful germs lurk everywhere, from doorknobs to your pet’s fur. Hand washing, as one of the most effective ways to prevent your risk of infection, is an important part of your daily personal hygiene.
When to Wash
Although there are many times in which hand washing is necessary, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and Mayo Clinic advise you to always clean up in these situations:
• After you go to the restroom
• Before you take care of someone who’s sick as well as after you administer care
• Before making your meals and eating your food
• After you change a baby’s diaper or clean up a toddler who’s gone “potty”
• After you sneeze, cough or blow your nose
• After you take out the garbage
• After handling your pet or cleaning up a pet’s waste (such as cleaning a litter box or removing waste from your yard)
• Before and after treating a cut, burn or other injury to the skin
• Putting in and taking out contact lenses
What You Need
Hand washing is a simple task, requiring only soap and water; however, there are some things that you might not know. For example, the Mayo Clinic states that antibacterial soap is no more or less effective than plain soap and, in some cases, regular use of antibacterial soap may cause the germs on your hands to build up resistance.
How to Wash
For effective washing in a public facility, the CDC advises you to put your hands under warm, running water. Apply soap. Rub your hands together to lather well. Scrub all surfaces of your hands with your fingers, then continue to rub your hands together for another 20 seconds. Rinse well and blot dry with a paper towel or use a blow-dryer. If possible, use the paper towel to turn off the tap.
When You Can’t Wash
If you don’t have access to soap and water, the CDC states that you can use an alcohol-based hand sanitizing gel. Simply apply a little bit to the palm of one hand and rub both hands together, making sure that the gel coats all surfaces. Continue rubbing your hands together until the gel dries. When selecting an antibacterial gel, the Mayo Clinic advises making sure the product contains at least 60 percent alcohol. Prepackaged wipes and pop-up towelettes can be used as an alternative to sanitizing gel, but the Mayo Clinic points out that these generally are not as effective.
Teaching Children to Wash Hands
Hand washing is an extremely important part of your child’s personal hygiene, especially if he attends preschool or group child care. Children in these settings are more likely to contract a respiratory or gastrointestinal disease and take it home to you and the rest of the family, warns the Mayo Clinic. Show your child how to wash her hands using yourself as an example. Make sure your child doesn’t get in a hurry; the Mayo Clinic suggests having him sing “Happy Birthday” twice while washing. Make sinks accessible to young ones by keeping a step-stool in the vicinity. The Mayo Clinic indicates that sanitizing gels, wipes and towelettes are appropriate for use by young children—just make sure your child doesn’t touch anything until the gel has completely dried. Store product containers safely out of reach of young children.
