Washing Your Hands Effectively
Proper handwashing should start with spending 20 seconds scrubbing your hands. If you need another way to make sure you meet the 20 second expectation, you can sing the ‘Happy Birthday’ song twice! Some studies even recommend handwashing for up to 30 seconds.
Instructions for using water and soap
Wet- You will need to turn on clean, running water
Lather- Make sure to apply liquid antibacterial soap (rather than bar soap)
Scrub- Make sure to reach under fingernails, between fingers, and even up your wrists
Rinse- Run water until all soap has been removed
Dry- It is important to dry your hands completely
Be prepared to use hand sanitizer when soap and water is unavailable, and make sure it contains at least 60% alcohol. Sanitizers may not eliminate all types of germs or remove harmful chemicals like pesticides and heavy metals. Sanitizers are also not the best when hands are visibly dirty.
Instructions for using hand sanitizer
Make sure all organic matter is removed from hands
Apply roughly a dime size amount to palm
Rub hands together and be sure to cover all the surfaces of your hands together
Rub hands together until the hand sanitizer is fully absorbed (roughly 20 seconds)
