The COVID-19 pandemic caused many of us to focus on clean hands like we had never done before. However, keeping our hands clean is not only a practice we should embrace during a pandemic or other health crisis. Clean hands are always necessary if we want to maintain good health. Cleaning hands is the simplest and most effective way everyone can stop the spread of germs that cause respiratory infections, colds, the Flu, and diarrheal infections. 

The most critical times to wash hands are after using the bathroom, coughing, sneezing, or blowing your nose, preparing food, and eating. We now use hand sanitizers much more than we used to, but washing our hands with soap and water for 20 seconds is still the most effective means of destroying bacteria. Teaching our kids about handwashing helps them and the people they are in contact with stay safe. 

The CDC says that handwashing: 

  • Decreases the number of people who get sick with diarrhea by about 23%–40%.  
  • Decreases the number of school days children missed because of gastrointestinal illness by 29%–57% 
  • Reduce diarrheal illness in people with weakened immune systems by about 58% 
  • Reduce respiratory illnesses, like colds, in the general population by about 16%–21% 

 

For effective handwashing, follow these five steps every time. 

Wet your hands with clean, running water (warm or cold), turn off the tap, and apply soap. 

Lather your hands by rubbing them together with the soap. Lather the backs of your hands, between your fingers, and under your nails. 

Scrub your hands for at least 20 seconds. Need a timer? Hum the "Happy Birthday" song from beginning to end twice. 

Rinse your hands well under clean, running water. 

Dry your hands using a clean towel or air dry them. 

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If soap and water are not readily available, use a hand sanitizer that contains at least 60% alcohol. 

For more information on how clean hands save lives, visit https://www.cdc.gov/clean-hands/about/index.html. 

Disclaimer: This is not a medical consultation. It should not replace the instructions to manage your specific medical condition given by your doctor or medical provider.