A Definitive Guide To Washing Your Hands!

The World Health Organization has sounded a call to action. This global body has everyone- healthcare professionals, policymakers, patients and their families as well as every individual to mark May 5th as the day to realize the importance of hand hygiene.

Hand hygiene can save lives. Clean hands of doctors, nurses and midwives can safeguard the lives of the patients in their charge. Politicians who realize the importance of clean hands can implement policies that make water, soaps and hand sanitizers accessible to all. And every one of us by washing our hands can prevent many dangerous communicable diseases like COVID-19, typhoid, cholera etc.

Thorough handwashing with soap or hand-wash and water as well as alcohol-based hand sanitizers can remove the majority of harmful microbes on our hands.

But, the only way hand washing will work is if we do it right. So let us explain the correct technique of washing hands that has been recommended by the WHO-

1. You need to wet your hands first

Hold your hands underneath running water and wet every square cm of your palms, backs of the hands, wrists and the areas in between the fingers. When you wet your hands, the skin softens and allows the soap to sink into every fine crack and crevice.

1. Reach for the hand wash or soap

Most washrooms in malls, cinema halls and offices are equipped with soap dispensers. Squirt a coin-sized amount onto your palm. At home, you can use either hand wash or soap. Make sure the soap is clean of dirt or grime and rub it between your wet palms for a few seconds.

1. Now comes the rubbing

Work the coin-sized dollop of hand wash into a lather by rubbing vigorously between your palms. If you are using soap, set it down, when you have enough soapy matter in your hands and create a lather with it.

1. Scrub your fingers clean

Germs tend to accumulate and breed in the area between your fingers. So you cannot forget to clean these parts.

• Place one palm over the back of the other hand. Scrub the fingers of the hand at the bottom and the area between them with the fingers of the hand on top. Reverse the hands and do the same with the other hand.

• Hold the palms of the hands together and interlace all your fingers and rub them against each other.

• Lay one palm over the other in opposite direction (fingers facing away), interlock fingers and rub the back of the fingers.

These manoeuvres will thoroughly remove any bacteria that had lodged between your fingers. Clean the underneath of your fingernails as well.

1. The thumbs

Grip one thumb in the fist of the other hand and rotate the fist backwards and forwards around the thumb to clean it. Repeat with the other thumb.

1. Cleaning with fingertips

Bunch your fingers together and with the tips of the fingers scrub your whole palm.

1. Don’t forget the wrists

Encircle your fingers around your wrists and soap them.

1. The scrubbing should take 30-60 seconds

2. Wash off your hands thoroughly with water and pat dry with a clean handkerchief

Hand washing is personal hygiene. It is a simple way to keep your family and yourself safe.