By Elise Garrick, CHES, CPT
Population Health Education Lead
Content provided by the Health & Wellness Team at GBS Benefits
Hand hygiene is an inexpensive and effective way to keep you and your loved ones healthy. Take action to prevent the spread of germs and illness!
People frequently touch their face, eyes, nose, and mouth without even realizing it. The transmission of germs takes place in these simple movements and actions by entering the body and making us sick. Proper hand hygiene prevents illness and stops the spread of germs as well as respiratory and diarrheal infections. It is an easy and inexpensive way to keep yourself and others healthy.
What about hand sanitizer?
The CDC recommends washing hands with soap and water whenever possible because it is the most effective way to remove germs and chemicals from your hands. Alcohol-based sanitizers can quickly reduce the number of microbes on hands in some situations, but sanitizers do not eliminate all types of germs. If you are in a situation where hand sanitizer is your only option, use one that contains at least 60% alcohol. Those with a lower percentage of alcohol may not work as well for many types of germs and can reduce the growth of germs rather than killing them outright. When using hand sanitizer, cover all surfaces of the hands until dry.
What can I do?
Teach children when it is appropriate to wash hands and how to effectively do so. Times it is especially important to wash your hands include:
- Before, during, and after preparing food
- Before eating
- After handling pets, pet food, or pet treats
- After using the restroom or changing a diaper
- After blowing your nose, coughing, or sneezing into your hands
- After touching garbage
- Before and after treating a cut or wound
- Before and after caring for someone who is sick
Effective hand washing looks like the following:
- Wet hands with clean, running water and turn off water.
- Apply soap. Lather hands by rubbing them together with soap ensuring to cover the back of hands, in between fingers, and under the nails.
- Scrub hands for at least 20 seconds.
- Rinse hands well under clean, running water and dry with a clean towel.
Did you know? Soap and friction help lift dirt, grease, and microbes (including disease causing germs) off skin. Rinsing hands under water without soap is not an effective way to remove these things.
References:
https://www.cdc.gov/clean-hands/data-research/facts-stats/
https://www.cdc.gov/clean-hands/data-research/facts-stats/hand-sanitizer-facts.html
