How to wash your hands the right way

Published on Tue Apr 9 2019 in Family

Winter is almost here, and with it comes the dreaded cold and flu season. Flu vaccinations are an important tool in the fight against illness, but unfortunately there’s no shot to help stop the common cold. Luckily, hand washing can go a long way towards preventing the spread of illness through the many types of bacteria and viruses your family may encounter.

But, you might be surprised to learn that many people are not washing their hands well enough. Even more concerning, a lot of people aren’t washing them at all when they really need to. One study found that participants preparing food only washed their hands about two-thirds of the time, and just three per cent of them did so correctly!1

If those stats are making you feel sick, then it might be time to fight back. Learning when and how to wash your hands the right way is the first step.

When should I wash my hands?

Knowing when to wash your hands is an important part of practicing good hygiene. Besides washing your hands whenever they are visibly dirty, you should also wash them:

Before

  • Preparing or eating food
  • Inserting or removing contact lenses
  • Treating a wound
  • Caring for a sick person

After

  • Preparing food
  • Handling rubbish
  • Using the toilet or changing nappies
  • Cleaning up animal waste
  • Treating a wound
  • Blowing your nose, coughing or sneezing
  • Caring for a sick person

All of these activities put you at risk of picking up and spreading nasty germs, bacteria or viruses that could make you or your family sick. Frequently washing hands can help stop them from spreading.

How should I wash my hands?

As we’ve already mentioned, it seems that most people aren’t washing their hands properly. In fact, we were surprised to learn that our own hand washing skills weren’t exactly up to snuff either! 

For a proper hand wash, make sure you’re doing the following:

  • After soaping up, lather well and rub your hands vigorously for at least 20 seconds. To help children (and yourself!) measure the time, sing the ABCs once or “Happy Birthday” twice all the way through at normal speed.
  • Be sure to cover all parts of both hands, including between each finger, your wrists and under fingernails.
  • Rinse well and dry your hands completely. Wet hands can transfer germs more easily, so drying them with a clean towel, paper towels or an air dryer is just as important as washing!2 

All this might seem a bit much—you may have seen a doctor or surgeon practice a similar routine in real life or on TV!—but it really is important to follow these steps in everyday life as often as you can.

What about hand sanitisers?

Good old-fashioned soap and water might be the best way to get your hands clean, but when these aren’t available hand sanitisers are a good alternative. Simply apply enough to the palm of your hand to wet them completely. Then rub your hands together, covering all the parts you’d normally wash until they’re dry.

For the best results, choose a brand that contains at least 60% alcohol. Also, remember to always supervise children when using hand sanitisers. Swallowing them could cause alcohol poisoning, so storing the bottle safely out of reach is also recommended.

Clean and healthy and happy!

Good hygiene is important to your family’s health no matter what the season. Proper hand washing is an important part of this. Teaching your kids these skills from a young age—and practicing them yourself—could go a long way towards keeping everyone illness-free in winter and beyond!

From putting away toys to the washing up, there are plenty of ways for the kids to help keep the house clean, safe and healthy!

 

1. USDA, Food Safety Consumer Research Project: Meal Preparation Experiment Related to Thermometer Use
2. Epidemiology and Infection, Residual moisture determines the level of touch-contact-associated bacterial transfer following hand washing

 

About Author: Momentum Life is a leading provider of Life insurance and Funeral insurance in New Zealand.

 


TAGS: cold, flu, health, wellbeing,

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