Department of Public Health - Acute Communicable Disease Control

Hand Washing

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Why should I wash my hands?

Washing your hands is one of the most important things you and your family can do to prevent illness.

Clean hands can help protect you from infectious and food-borne illnesses. If you get sick, it can keep you from passing your illness to others.

Hand washing protects your health by helping to remove dirt and germs that get on your hands during almost any activity.

If you don't wash your hands, the germs on your hands can get into your mouth, nose, eyes, cuts and scrapes, even your food, and make you sick.

But my hands look clean!

Even though your hands may look clean they can still have dirt and germs on them. Germs are too small to see with the human eye. They can only be seen through a microscope.

When should I wash my hands?

Wash your hands BEFORE:

Eating
Feeding Children, The Ill or Elderly
Touching Foods - Especially Foods That Won't Be Cooked
Cooking Food
Touching or Bandaging a Cut or Scrape
Inserting or Removing Contact Lenses
Taking Care of a Sick Person

Wash your hands AFTER:

Eating
Working
Playing
Touching Animals
Touching Foods - Especially Raw Meat, Poultry, Fish and Eggs
Using The Bathroom or Helping Others in the Bathroom
Changing Diapers
Cleaning Up Animal Feces
Coughing, Sneezing or Blowing Your Nose
Taking Care of a Sick Person
Touching Blood or Other Body Fluids
Touching Cuts, Sores or Rashes
Cleaning The House
Handling Garbage

What is the right way to wash my hands?

Wash your hands with running water and soap for at least 20 seconds.

The water should be running. Moving water helps remove dirt and germs. Standing water allows dirt and germs that were washed off to get back onto your hands.
Your hands should be under the stream of water so the front and back, and as far up to your wrists as possible, get wet.
The water should be comfortable to the touch. If the water is too hot, you can burn yourself. If it is too cold, the dirt and germs may not get washed off.

Get soap all over your hands

Include the fronts and backs of your hands and as far up your wrists as you can get.
You can use any kind of soap.

Take your hands out from under the water and rub your hands together to make a lather. Do this for at least 20 seconds.

The lather should cover the front and back of your hands and your wrists.

Work hard on the areas between the fingers and under the nails where the dirt hides.
You can use a sponge or cloth to help get the dirt off, but do not use the same cloth or sponge to wash more than one person's hands. Wash sponges or cloths regularly.

Rinse your hands.

The water should run back into the sink, not down your arms.

Dry your hands completely, using a clean towel.

Use paper towels or air dryers in places where there are a lot of people.