How to Reduce Illness by Proper Hand Washing

Proper hand washing is a simple, low-cost way to keep your and your family healthy. Hand washing is a habit that requires very little training, and almost no equipment. The only requirements are warm water and soap. Or in the absence of soap and water, an alcohol-based hand sanitizer can be used.

And yet, many people do not practice this vital habit as often as they should. Infectious diseases such as the flu, colds, and gastrointestinal viruses like diarrhea spread through hand to hand contact. Throughout the day many germs are accumulated on your hands by contact with people, animals, food, and other contaminated surfaces.

Improper hygiene, including lack of hand washing, contributes to the spread of dangerous food related illnesses like salmonella and E. coli. According to the Center for Disease Control, about 5000 Americans die each year from these and other food-borne diseases. And countless others suffer the vomiting, diarrhea, and dehydration associated with these illnesses.

Even though antibacterial soaps have become popular in the last few years, there is no evidence that they are more effective at killing germs than plain soap and water. And while using a moist wipe or towelette is preferable to no washing at all, using a hand sanitizing gel is best if no water is available to wash your hands.

To properly wash your hands in soap and water, follow these instructions provided by the Center for Disease Control.
Wet your hands with warm, running water. Apply soap and lather well.

Rub your hands together for 15-20 seconds.

Don't forget to rub all surfaces, including between each finger, the backs of your hands, your wrists and fingernails.

Rinse all the soap off your hands.

Dry your hands with a clean towel. If this is a public restroom, use a disposable towel.

If this is a public restroom, turn off the faucet with your disposable towel.

How often should a person wash their hands? Hands need to be washed after the following activities to prevent the spread of bacteria and viruses.

Using the bathroom

Changing a diaper

Petting any animal

Changing the cat's litter box

Before and after handling raw meat, or any other food products

After coughing, sneezing or blowing your nose

After wiping your toddler's nose

Anytime you are using a public restroom

There are many important things to teach your children over the years, but instilling the habit of proper hand washing is one of the best gifts you can give them. Children learn by example or modeling, so make sure they see you washing your hands at each of the above activities. Wash your hands along with your children, and supervise their hand washing when they are young. Make sure to include a stool in front of the sink to make it easy for toddlers and preschoolers to wash semi-independently.

You can hang cheerful hand washing reminders at your child's eye level, too. Hanging these hand washing reminders at eye level when he or she is sitting on the toilet is ideal. You can hang another reminder by the light switch. You might want to include a sticker chart or something similar where the child gets to put a sticker or happy face for each time he washed his hands in the beginning until the habit is ingrained.

Make sure each meal and snack time begins with a hand washing session. Before long, your children will automatically head for the bathroom sink at meal time. Since younger children tend to rush through washing their hands, you can make it fun by saying to scrub their hands together while singing a song like "Row, Row, Row Your Boat" or "Happy Birthday." Foaming soap dispensers with cartoon characters on them can also provide an additional incentive for hand washing in your younger children.

When you are using the alcohol based hand sanitizers with your children (and I recommend that no mom's purse should be without it) make sure that the gel has dried, especially if you have a toddler who puts his hands in his mouth frequently. And you can teach your older child to apply the hand cleaner himself and to rub it in between fingers, on the backs of the hands and on the wrists, just like washing with soap and water.

Good, frequent hand washing is one of the simplest and most effective ways to prevent all sorts of illnesses. I can't think of a better way to protect our families than to teach them these techniques.