Proper Handwashing Will Stop Most Germs

Proper hand washing methods can prevent most illnesses. Yes, I know how silly that sounds but it is true, as many of us already know. How many of us really know how to wash our hands to prevent most illnesses such staph infections or some of the other bad illnesses out there? I am here to educate you, as I have been educated in the fine art of hand washing.

Education should stress strict hand washing methods for all family members, especially before preparing food and after using the toilet. There are many times that we should be washing our hands during the day.

Hands should be washed at the following times: before, during, and after preparing food; before eating; after using the bathroom; after petting a pet; after handling garbage; after coughing, sneezing, or blowing your nose; and if you are sick or have been around a sick person. In essence any time your hands touch anything wash them.

Washing your hands is very important because our hands do so much for us. There are plenty of opportunities for infections to be passed to our own bodies or to other people if we do not wash our hand frequently. No one wants to spread bad germs or bacteria like the superbug a super bad staph infection, so wash your hands often.

If you want to see first hand how germs are spread, get your hands dirty with some mud. Do not wash them but go about your daily routine. I am sure you can imagine mud getting all over, and you would not want that. However if you do not wash your hands often bad germs that can make us very sick are being spread all over as that imaginary mud is.

Here are some basics instructions for washing your hands. This information was taught to new health professionals when I began working in the local nursing home.

First, you must turn on the water, and make sure hands and lower arms are wet with water. Then apply the soap, and scrub your hands and lower arms for about as long as it takes you to sing a verse of happy birthday. Washing hands all over including backs of hands, wrists, between fingers and under fingernails. The friction gets rid of the nasty germs, so if you do not have a scrub brush make sure you use friction. Then rinse your hands and arms off. Grab a paper towel and dry off, use the paper towel to turn off the water flow. The importance of using a paper towel to turn off the water flow is so that you do not re-infect your hands with the germs you just washing off.

Washing hands is not only important in the work place it is important where we are in our homes as well. The water faucets in our homes can become quite infested with germs. Some of these germs can cause infections like staph infections. At home, germs on various surfaces are more easily controlled because we can sanitize those surfaces as often as we feel the need.

When we go out in the public it is harder to be safe, but common sense does go along way to prevent the spread of germs such as the nasty superbug that is going around. Wash you hands using the methods outlined above and safeguard yourself and your loved ones.

Make sure your children also know the proper hand washing methods and this will also keep them safer from the nasty germs.

source

http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/hand-washing/HQ00407