Hand washing is one among the simplest ways to guard yourself and your family from illness. Learn when and the way to scrub your hands to remain healthy.
How germs are spread
Hand washing can keep you healthy and stop the spread of respiratory infections and diarrhea from person to person. Germs can increase from people or surfaces when you:
- Touch your body parts like eyes, mouth, and nose with unwashed hands
- Eat or prepare food and drink with unwashed hands
- Touching a contaminated surface or objects
- Blow your nose, cough, or sneeze into your hands, then touch common objects or others hands
Key moments for washing hands
You can help yourself and those around you to stay healthy by washing your hands often, especially during these key times when you are likely to catch and spread germs:
- Before, during and after preparing food
- Before and after eating
- Before and after caring for somebody reception who has vomiting or diarrhea
- Before and after treating a cut or wound
- After using the toilet
- After changing diapers or cleaning a toddler who has used the rest room
- After blowing your nose, coughing or sneezing
- After touching an animal, feed or animal waste
- After handling pet food or treats
- After touching garbage
The guide to the list of key times for washing hands has been developed by data gathered from a number of studies. There can also be other times when it’s important to wash your hands.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, to stop the spread of germs you also need to wash your hands with soap and water for a minimum of 20 seconds or use a hand sanitizer with a minimum of 60% alcohol to wash hands BEFORE and AFTER:
- Touching your eyes, nose or mouth
- Touch your mask
- Entering and leaving a public place
- Touching an item or surface which will be frequently touched by people, like doorknobs, tables, gas pumps, shopping carts, or electronic cash registers / displays
Also Read: How to Protect Yourself And Others From COVID-19
Follow five steps to wash your hands properly
Hand washing is easy and one among the foremost effective ways to stop the spread of germs. Clean hands can prevent germs from spreading from person to person and throughout a whole community – from your home and workplace to daycares and hospitals.
Follow these five steps each time.
- Wet your hands with clean running water (cold or lukewarm), close the tap, and apply soap.
- Lather your hands by washing them with the soap. Also, lather between your fingers, under your nails of fingers and your hands back.
- Together rub your hands for a minimum of 20 seconds. Need a timer? Um the song “Happy Birthday” twice from start to end.
- Rinse your hands well under clean running water.
- Air dry your hands or with the help of a clean towel.
When you cannot use soap and water, use hand sanitizer
In most situations, washing your hands with soap and water is the best way to get rid of germs. If soap and water aren’t readily available, you’ll use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer that contains a minimum of 60% alcohol. You can tell if the disinfectant contains at least 60% alcohol by looking at the product label.
Sanitizers can quickly reduce the amount of germs on your hands in many situations. however,
- Disinfectants do not prevent all types of germs.
- Hand sanitizers might not be effective when hands are very dirty or greasy.
- Hand sanitizers may not remove harmful chemicals from the hands like pesticides and heavy metals.
How to use hand sanitizer
- Apply the gel product to the palm of 1 hand (read the label for the right amount).
- Rub your hands together.
- Rub the gel on all your hands and fingers surfaces until your hands are dry. It should take about 20 seconds.
