Hand Washing – Hands Down The Best Way To Stay Healthy

The habit of hand washing should start very young so that it becomes just one of those necessary things that are ingrained into our daily routines. All you need is clean running warm water and soap or in a crunch, an alcohol-based sanitizer will work too. Good hygiene benefits stemming from your hand washing are important.

The Problems with Poor Hand Washing Hygeine

Everyone knows that hand washing is essential keeping many germs at bay and yet many people don’t do it as often as they should, particularly after a restroom break. All day long you are faced with millions of germs on practically every surface that you touch from your computer keyboard to shaking a person’s hand (and who knows if they wash their hands often either).

Most people unconsciously rub their eyes, noses and mouth so guess what they are spreading? You can spread your own germs onto surfaces as well like door knobs and telephones. People who do not wash their hands have the potential to contract gastrointestinal problems (meaning vomiting and diarrhea) or at the very least cold and flu. Just think about the people who prepare and serve your food at restaurants. What would happen if they did not wash their hands? Food related illnesses such as E. coli and salmonella can occur. Hand washing is essential in terms of infection control.

The Right Ways to Keep Hands Clean

Use clean warm running water along with regular soap to wash your hands. Don’t bother with antibacterial soaps as they are not any more effective at killing germs as regular soap. Lather up with soap and rub and scrub vigorously for about 15 – 20 seconds. Do not neglect under the fingernails or between your fingers, back of the hands and even the wrists. Rinse the soap off well with warm water. Use a disposal paper towel to dry your hands off with and even use it to turn off the water faucet and bathroom door as these two surfaces harbor many germs.

Alcohol-based sanitizers can work for those times when a trip to the bathroom to wash hands is not possible. Try and choose the varieties that have skin conditioners in them as alcohol can be quite drying to the skin. For these sanitizers to work, squirt a small dollop in your hand and rub your palms together as well as apply to the back of your hands and wrists. Be sure to rub the sanitizer in until your hands feel dry.

Critical Hand Washing Times to Avoid Infection

While you cannot live in the bathroom and wash your hands every few minutes, there are certain times when it is absolutely essential to do so immediately. Changing a baby’s diaper is perhaps one of the most important scenarios when hand washing should be immediate. When playing with pets, enjoying a petting zoo or handling other animals, it is imperative that you wash hands immediately afterwards as animals harbor a variety of diseases.

Just rely on your common sense to know when the best times to wash hands are. Also, make it a point with your children about hand washing and when it is appropriate. You could end up raising a child who rarely gets sick if you give them the proper hand washing hygiene tools to work with.

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