How to wash your hands

 

The most important thing you can do to prevent the spread of infectious disease to yourself and others is to wash your hands frequently.

Disease germs are spread when multiple people touch doorknobs, elevator buttons, currency and coins or the like.

I wouldn’t have thought I didn’t know how to do a simple thing like hand washing properly, but i learn from a post on kottke.org that evidently I don’t.  Here are directions from the Centers for Disease Control.

1. Wet your hands with clean, running water (warm or cold), turn off the tap, and apply soap.
2. Lather your hands by rubbing them together with the soap.
3. Lather the backs of your hands, between your fingers, and under your nails.
4. Scrub your hands for at least 20 seconds. Need a timer? Hum the “Happy Birthday” song from beginning to end twice.
5. Rinse your hands well under clean, running water.
6. Dry your hands using a clean towel or air dry them.

LINKS

Map of Areas Most Often Missed During Hand Washing by Jason Kottke for kottke.org.

When and How to Wash Your Hands by the Centers for Disease Control.

Tags: Hand Washing, Infectious Disease