Hand-washing: Do's and don'ts

Hand-washing is an easy way to prevent infection. Know when and how to wash your hands, and how to get children into the hand-washing habit.

By Mayo Clinic Staff

Frequent hand-washing is one of the best ways to keep from getting sick and spreading illness. Find out when to wash your hands and how to do it right.

When to wash your hands

Germs get on your hands from touching people, surfaces and objects throughout the day. You can infect yourself with these germs by touching your eyes, nose or mouth. Or you may spread the germs to other people.

You can't keep your hands germ-free. But washing your hands often with soap and water can help limit the spread of germs.

Always wash your hands before and after:

  • Making and eating food.
  • Treating wounds or caring for a sick person.
  • Touching an item or surface that is touched often by other people, such as door handles, gas pumps or shopping carts.
  • Going into or leaving a public place.
  • Putting in or taking out contact lenses.

Always wash your hands after:

  • Using the toilet, changing a diaper or cleaning a child who has used the toilet.
  • Touching an animal, animal feed or animal waste.
  • Blowing your nose, coughing or sneezing.
  • Touching garbage.
  • Touching pet food or pet treats

Also, wash your hands when they look dirty.

How to wash your hands

It's best to wash your hands with plain soap and water. Antibacterial soaps that you can buy without a prescription don't kill germs better than plain soaps.

Follow these steps:

  • Wet your hands with clean, running water.
  • Apply soap and lather well.
  • Rub your hands hard for at least 20 seconds. Scrub all surfaces. This includes the backs of your hands, your wrists, between your fingers and under your fingernails.
  • Rinse well.
  • Dry your hands with a clean towel or air-dry them.

How to use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer

You can use alcohol-based hand sanitizers when you don't have soap and water. If you use a hand sanitizer, make sure it has at least 60% alcohol. And wash your hands with soap and water as soon as you can.

Follow these steps:

  • Apply the gel product to the palm of one hand. Check the label to find out the right amount.
  • Rub your hands together.
  • Rub the gel over all the surfaces of your hands and fingers until your hands are dry.

Kids need clean hands too

Help children stay healthy by urging them to wash their hands often. Wash your hands with your children to show them how it's done.

Tell them to wash their hands for as long as it takes to sing the "Happy Birthday" song twice. This can keep them from rushing. Keep a step stool nearby for children who can't reach the sink.

Be sure to watch young children when they use alcohol-based hand sanitizers. Swallowing alcohol-based sanitizers can cause alcohol poisoning. Put hand sanitizer where children can't reach it between uses.

A simple way to stay healthy

Hand-washing offers great rewards. If you make hand-washing a habit, it can play a big role in keeping you healthy.

Mayo Clinic Minute: How dirty are common surfaces?

Jason Howland: Most of us aren't aware we are doing it.

We touch our face between three to 30 times an hour.

The problem, says Dr. Gregory Poland, is what we touch beforehand is often riddled with germs.

Gregory Poland, M.D., Vaccine Research Group Mayo Clinic: Bathroom faucets, door handles, escalator rails, computer terminals, anything that is commonly touched by the public.

Jason Howland: But how germ-filled are common objects? Let's start with money.

Gregory Poland, M.D.: Bad but not highly transmissible.

Jason Howland: Touchscreens, devices, phones?

Gregory Poland, M.D.: Bad.

Jason Howland: Restaurant menus?

Gregory Poland, M.D.: Really bad.

Jason Howland: Doorknob handles?

Gregory Poland, M.D.: Really, really bad.

Jason Howland: What about our computer keyboards?

Gregory Poland, M.D.: Those have been shown over and over again to be really grossly contaminated.

Jason Howland: These common surfaces aren't just gross. They can be a vehicle to spread cold and flu viruses, and make you sick. Dr. Poland offers these suggestions.

Gregory Poland, M.D.: First, keep your hands out of your eyes, nose and mouth. Second is either wash your hands with soap and water, or use hand sanitizer.

Jason Howland: And make sure you get your annual flu vaccine.

For the Mayo Clinic News Network, I'm Jason Howland.

Mayo Clinic Minute: You're washing your hands all wrong

Ian Roth: Children often are taught at a young age to wash their hands — before eating and after using the restroom. It's an easy and effective way to stay healthy and avoid spreading disease.

But Dr. Gregory Poland, director of Mayo Clinic’s Vaccine Research Group says adults could do much better at the sink.

Gregory Poland, M.D.: People go to the bathroom and they run their fingers under the water. Well, that does nothing. And, then they grab the dirty faucet, and they touch the dirty handle on the way out of the bathroom.

Ian Roth: Dr. Poland says that in public washrooms there are often more bacteria on those faucets than in the toilet water. So, next time you’re at the sink…

Gregory Poland, M.D.: So you wash your hands while singing happy birthday to yourself, you get between the fingers, the fingertips, the thumb, you turn the water off with a paper towel, and you open the door to leave with a paper towel and dispose of the paper towel. That's how you wash your hands — ideally, with warm, soapy water.

Ian Roth: For the Mayo Clinic News Network, I’m Ian Roth.

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Dec. 11, 2024 See more In-depth

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