Stop germs: Wash your hands

• Touch your eyes, nose and mouth with unwashed hands.
• Prepare or eat food and drinks with unwashed hands.
• Touch surfaces, objects or pets that have germs on them.
• Blow your nose, cough or sneeze into hands and then touch other people’s hands or common objects.

Keep things CLEAN to get rid of germs.

Hand washing DOES make a difference. You and your family will have fewer colds and less flu if you get rid of germs on your hands. Proper hand washing is the most effective and least expensive way to prevent the spread of germs, foodborne illnesses and communicable diseases.

It is easy! The first step is to wash your hands.

This is what you will need in both your kitchen and bathroom to wash your hands

Water

You need to use enough water to wash the germs away. Clean water running from a faucet is best. Or, use a pitcher to pour clean water over a bowl or tub.

Soap

Use mild bar soap or liquid soap in a bottle. You do not need special antibacterial soap. Both types are effective, but antibacterial soap is harsh to your skin. Antibacterial soap can cause harm to some fish in our streams and rivers.

Towel

Dry your hands with a clean paper or cloth towel. If you use a cloth towel, use a clean one. Change towels daily or more frequently when they become damp.

Here is the proper way to wash your hands

1. Turn on the faucet with a low flow of water (warm or cold) and wet your hands. Turn off the faucet to conserve water.
2. Put soap on the palm of your hand and rub your hands together to make a lather. Lather the fronts and backs of your hands, your wrists, between your fingers, and around and under your fingernails.
3. Continue scrubbing soap lather over your hands for 20 seconds (the time that it takes to sing the “ABC” or “Happy Birthday” song twice). Bubbles in the lather will lift germs off your hands and wrists.
4. Turn on the faucet and rinse your hands under clean, running water to remove all the soap. Warm to hot water (between 70 and 105 degrees F) when available can also kill some germs before they go down the drain. If you are in a public restroom, turn off the faucet with a paper towel.
5. Dry your hands with a clean paper towel, a clean hand towel or an air dryer. Do not finish by wiping your hands on your clothes!

When to wash your hands

You can help yourself and your loved ones stay healthy by washing your hands often, especially during these key times when you are likely to get and spread germs:

• Before, during and after cooking or preparing food.
• After touching raw meat, poultry, fish, eggshells or eggs, or flour. These foods can have germs. Many germs are killed by cooking.
• Before and after eating.
• Before and after caring for a person or pet at home that is sick with vomiting or diarrhea.
• Before and after treating a cut or wound.
• After using the toilet or changing diapers. If you are sick with diarrhea, don’t prepare food for others. It is hard to get your hands clean enough. You could make someone else sick.
• After blowing your nose, sneezing or coughing.
• After touching an animal, animal feed or animal waste.
• After handling pet food or pet treats.
• After visiting a petting zoo or other animal exhibits.
• After touching garbage.
• After playing outside.
• When your hands look dirty.

Use hand sanitizer when you can’t use soap and water

Washing hands with soap and water is the best way to get rid of germs in most situations. If soap and water are not readily available, you can use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer that contains at least 60% alcohol. You can tell if the sanitizer contains at least 60% alcohol by looking at the product label.

Note: Some hand sanitizers are only effective in reducing germs after you first wash your hands properly. Read the label for the manufacturer’s instructions.

Sanitizers can quickly reduce the number of germs on hands in many situations. However,

• Sanitizers do not get rid of all types of germs.
• Hand sanitizers may not be as effective when hands are visibly dirty or greasy.
• Hand sanitizers may not effectively remove harmful chemicals, such as pesticides, from hands.

Caution! Swallowing more than a couple of mouthfuls of alcohol-based hand sanitizer can cause alcohol poisoning. Keep it out of reach of young children and supervise their use.

Frequently asked questions

Do I need to use antibacterial soap?

No. Just plain soap, water and friction for 20 seconds will get rid of germs. You do not need special antibacterial soap. Antibacterial soap is harsh to your skin when used frequently and it can cause harm to some fish in our streams and rivers.

Do I really have to wash my hands for 20 seconds?

Yes. Many people do not wash their hands long enough. It takes that much time to get the germs off every part of your hands, palms, the back of your hands and between fingers and wrists — including the cuticles and under your fingernails.

Do I need to wash my hands every time that I use the toilet?

Yes. Poo and pee can both spread germs before other symptoms of illness begin to occur.

How can I clean my hands when I am away from a sink?

Soap and running water get rid of germs fast. In an emergency, you could use “towelettes” (small, wet paper towels in packets, for one-time use). Avoid using hand sanitizers instead of washing your hands. This is a last resort. You could carry a small bottle of tap water and small bottle of liquid soap for hand washing away from a fresh water source and before you eat outside, for instance.

I can do laundry only once a week. Is it safe to use the same hand towel all week?

It is best to use a clean hand towel daily. If you use a towel often, buy several less expensive towels to change them regularly.

Resources

• Centers for Disease Control, About Handwashing
• Centers for Disease Control, Wash Hands When Leaving Animal Exhibits
• Partnership for Food Safety Education, Clean Hands, Healthy Home.