Hand-washing 101

We all know that hand-washing is more important than ever, but how often should we do it, and for that matter, how?

When people don't wash their hands, everything they touch becomes a new home for viruses and germs. According to a study conducted by the American Society for Microbiology and the Soap and Detergent Association, 90 per cent of women wash their hands after using a public restroom, compared to 75 per cent of men.

Stop the spread of illness
Think of all the door handles, light switches, toilet handles, and even loonies we all touch in an average day. These high-touch items are prime real estate for illness-causing germs. One of the most common ways people catch colds is by rubbing their nose or eyes with contaminated hands. According to Janice de Heer, infection control practitioner for B.C.'s Interior Health Authority, “hand-washing is the single most effective way of preventing the spread of infections.”

With the recent threats of SARS and Norovirus (commonly known as Norwalk) and regular news reports about an impending flu pandemic, the need for public vigilance about hand-washing practices is crucial. Some of these bugs can live for up to 48 hours on a nonporous surface. If that surface is a door handle, think of how many people grab it with a firm grip each day. Open the door and rub your eyes five minutes later -- that's all it could take to make you sick! Here's the good news: all it takes is 30 seconds, some warm water and regular hand soap to stop the spread of germs.

This is the way we wash our hands…
It may sound silly to spell it out like this, but there really is a right and wrong way to wash your hands.

1. Turn on the taps and adjust them until the water is at a comfortable temperature. Wet your hands, add soap and lather for a full 15 to 20 seconds with your hands out of the water. How long is 15 seconds? It's about the same amount of time it takes to sing Happy Birthday or the Alphabet Song.

2. Pay extra attention to the ends of your fingers, since they do most of the work, and get under your fingernails. Scrub to above the wrist.

3. Rinse in warm water for another 15 seconds.

4. Dry with a clean towel or paper towel.

5. Here's something you may not have considered -- turn off the tap with something other than your hands. That tap was touched before you washed your hands and it may not be clean so use the paper towel you dried your hands with to turn it off.

6. Washing the little hands of a group of kids with the same cloth just spreads the germs around. Encourage them to lather up at the sink whenever you can and start their hand-washing habits early.

Click to continue: The problem with antibacterial soap is...

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