Wash your
hands with soap and clean running water for at least 20 seconds. How long is 20 seconds? Just about long enough to sing the
alphabet song to yourself. If you get tired of that song, sing the birthday song twice or sing a verse of "Twinkle, Twinkle,
Little Star • Warm water is best, if it’s available, because it helps soap emulsify normal skin oils
and grease, but cold water will work fi ne, too. Don’t use water that’s as hot as you can stand—the water
would have to be near boiling to kill any more germs than cold water, and the risk of scalding is too great.
. •
Rub your hands together to make a lather, then scrub your hands all over—top and bottom, between the fi ngers,
across the knuckles, under the nails, and up over your wrists. Friction is important here. It forces the lather deep into
the crevices of your skin and helps in the emulsification process, plus it helps to dislodge germs and sloughed skin cells.
If soap and water are not available, a good alternative is hand sanitizer gel. For maximum germ-killing, sanitizing
gels need to be used correctly:
• Apply one or two squirts of the gel to the palm of one hand.
•
Rub your hands together briskly.
• Rub the gel all over your hands, just as if you were washing
them. Be sure to get between the fi ngers and around and under the nails.
• Keep rubbing
until your hands are dry—about 20 seconds
•For more information go to:
