How to Wash Your Hands Cleanly
Washing hands is one of the most important and fundamental steps of personal hygiene that you can take every day to avoid spreading disease and germs to others. Many diseases and medical conditions are easily spread only from dirty hands. This is the correct way to wash your hands so that you are free from disease.
When to wash hands?
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), hand washing should be done at the following times:
In addition, wash your hands at the following times:
How to wash hands properly and correctly
Did you know that washing your hands is not just rubbing, rinse, and dry? CDC and WHO issued detailed and effective hand washing guidelines to kill germs.
Washing hands with soap are the best way to eliminate large amounts of germs. If you are in a place without soap or water, use an alcohol hand sanitizer gel. A powerful hand cleansing gel to reduce germs, but can not eradicate the entire bacteria.
Ordinary soap or antibacterial soap?
Antibacterial soaps that are sold in the market are apparently not more effective in killing germs when compared to ordinary soap.
One 2015 study in South Korea compared the effectiveness of ordinary soap with antibacterial soap with 0.3% triclosan against a panel of bacteria, including Listeria, Salmonella, and Staphylococcus for 20 seconds as a testing method recommended by the FDA.
As a result, the two soaps work equally effectively in cleaning hands from bacteria, but the soap containing triclosan takes longer to work effectively to kill germs. One guess is that the other supporting compositions in the soap slow down the antibacterial ability of triclosan.
In addition, several studies link the long-term and unnecessary effects of triclosan, including antibiotic resistance to germs, allergies, and hormonal disorders. One study even linked the exposure to triclosan, in the long run, the possibility of cancer potential.
The results of this study then require antibacterial soap manufacturers to attach scientific evidence to support the claims of antiseptic effectiveness of their products.
In addition, always provide a hand sanitizer to maintain hand hygiene when you are outside the home. Choose a hand sanitizer with 60-95% alcohol content and aloe vera to effectively kill germs and treat the softness of the skin of the hands. If you have sensitive skin, it is better to choose the content of allergen-free fragrance so the hands can stay clean without causing irritation.
Washing hands does not require much time and effort, but provides a myriad of benefits for the health of you and your family. Help your children to get used to washing hands by showing them directly how to wash hands properly.
When to wash hands?
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), hand washing should be done at the following times:
- Before, during and after cooking or preparing food
- Before eat
- Before and after treating a sick person
- Before and after treating open sores or blisters
- After using the bathroom or toilet
- After changing a diaper or cleaning a small child after the toilet room
- After handling animals, feeding animals, or cleaning animal waste
- After handling animal food
- After touching the trash or taking out the trash
In addition, wash your hands at the following times:
- Before removing or using contact lenses
- After cleaning, coughing, or wiping a runny nose
- After shaking hands with others
How to wash hands properly and correctly
Did you know that washing your hands is not just rubbing, rinse, and dry? CDC and WHO issued detailed and effective hand washing guidelines to kill germs.
- Wet both hands with clean running water, turn off the faucet, then pour enough soap
- Rub your hands together. Make sure you rub between your fingers, the backs of your hands, and under your nails:
- Hook your fingers together with your palms touching each other, and rub the inside, alternating the two sides of your hand
- Then switch positions. Hook the fingers of your left hand over the back of your right hand and rub the backs of your hands alternately.
- Rub the left thumb with the right hand with a twisting motion, and vice versa.
- Do it for 20 seconds. As a reference, you can mumble the song "Happy Birthday" twice during hand rubbing.
- Rinse hands thoroughly with running water.
- Dry your hands with a clean towel or air.
- If possible, turn off the tap using your elbows or use a tissue to block your clean hands when turning off the faucet.
Washing hands with soap are the best way to eliminate large amounts of germs. If you are in a place without soap or water, use an alcohol hand sanitizer gel. A powerful hand cleansing gel to reduce germs, but can not eradicate the entire bacteria.
Ordinary soap or antibacterial soap?
Antibacterial soaps that are sold in the market are apparently not more effective in killing germs when compared to ordinary soap.
One 2015 study in South Korea compared the effectiveness of ordinary soap with antibacterial soap with 0.3% triclosan against a panel of bacteria, including Listeria, Salmonella, and Staphylococcus for 20 seconds as a testing method recommended by the FDA.
As a result, the two soaps work equally effectively in cleaning hands from bacteria, but the soap containing triclosan takes longer to work effectively to kill germs. One guess is that the other supporting compositions in the soap slow down the antibacterial ability of triclosan.
In addition, several studies link the long-term and unnecessary effects of triclosan, including antibiotic resistance to germs, allergies, and hormonal disorders. One study even linked the exposure to triclosan, in the long run, the possibility of cancer potential.
The results of this study then require antibacterial soap manufacturers to attach scientific evidence to support the claims of antiseptic effectiveness of their products.
In addition, always provide a hand sanitizer to maintain hand hygiene when you are outside the home. Choose a hand sanitizer with 60-95% alcohol content and aloe vera to effectively kill germs and treat the softness of the skin of the hands. If you have sensitive skin, it is better to choose the content of allergen-free fragrance so the hands can stay clean without causing irritation.
Washing hands does not require much time and effort, but provides a myriad of benefits for the health of you and your family. Help your children to get used to washing hands by showing them directly how to wash hands properly.
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