You Need to Wash Your Hands Better

Do you wash your hands after going to the bathroom, blowing your nose, handling raw meat, playing at the park or before you eat a meal?  Chances are you do, or at least I’d like to think you do.  But are you washing your hands well enough?  Chances are, you’re not!

This week is Hands Washing Awareness Week and we want to make sure you are doing your best at washing your hands.  It is important to spend at least 20 seconds washing your hands with soap and clean water.  Cleaning between your fingers, around your nails, and the tops and bottoms of your hands is necessary in the prevention of illness and spreading of disease.  But what about hand sanitizers you may ask?  According to the CDC, hand sanitizer with at least 60% alcohol can help to eliminate most unwanted germs, but not all.  “Soap and water are more effective than hand sanitizers at removing certain kinds of germs, like Cryptosporidium, norovirus, and Clostridium difficile^1-5.  Although alcohol-based hand sanitizers can inactivate many types of microbes very effectively when used correctly ^1-15, people may not use a large enough volume of the sanitizers or may wipe it off before it has dried ^14.”  

You can keep track of how long to wash your hands by singing or humming “Happy Birthday” twice.  Use the infographic below for a visual on how to properly wash- it’s also great for showing your kids how to wash their hands too.