Hand washing is a simple habit, something most people do without thinking.  Yet hand washing, when done properly, is one of the best ways to avoid getting sick.  This simple habit requires only soap and warm water or an alcohol-based hand sanitizer – a cleanser that doesn’t require water.  Do you know the benefits of good hand hygiene and when and how to wash your hands properly?

The dangers of NOT washing your hands:

Despite the proven health benefits of hand washing, many people don’t practice this habit as often as they should-even after using the toilet.  Throughout the day you accumulate germs on your hands from a variety of sources, such as direct contact with people, contaminated surfaces, food, even animals and animal waste.  If you don’t wash your hands frequently enough, you can infect yourself with these germs by touching your eyes, nose or mouth.  And you can spread these germs to others by touching them or by touching surfaces that they also touch, such as doorknobs. 

Infectious diseases that are commonly spread through hand-to-hand contact include the common cold, flu, and several gastrointestinal disorders, such as infectious diarrhea.  While most people will get over a cold, the flu can be much more serious. 

Inadequate hand hygiene also contributes to food related illnesses, such as Salmonella and E.Coli.  Most people infected with a food-borne illness will experience annoying signs and symptoms such as nausea, vomiting and diarrhea, however, about 5000 Americans annually will die from these illnesses.

Proper hand washing techniques:

Good hand washing includes washing your hands with soap and warm water or using an alcohol based hand sanitizer.  Antibacterial soaps have become increasingly popular in recent years; however, these soaps are no more effective at killing germs than is regular soap.  Using antibacterial soaps, in fact, may lead to the development of bacterial that are resistant to the products’ antimicrobial agents-making it even harder to kill these germs in the future. The combination of scrubbing your hands with soap and rinsing them with water loosens and removes bacteria from your hands.  Scrub all surfaces of your hands including backs of your hands, wrists, between your fingers and under your fingernails for 15-20 seconds.  Rinse well. Dry hands with a clean towel and use that towel to turn off the faucet.  Hand sanitizers containing at least 60% alcohol are a good alternative to hand washing, particularly when soap and water are unavailable.  Not all hand sanitizers are created equal.  To be effective at killing bacteria and viruses they must contain at least 60% alcohol.