Do's And Don'ts Of Handwashing!

Hand washing is an integral part of personal hygiene. This simple act alone can prevent the spread of many deadly illnesses like COVID-19, cholera, typhoid, chickenpox, hand foot and mouth disease, conjunctivitis etc. In some cases, it can save your life.

But there are certain guidelines for washing hands. If you do it the correct way, you can eliminate up to 99% of the germs on your hands.

So, let us discuss a few things you must and must not do when it comes to cleaning your hands.

Handwashing Do’s

Do remember to wash your hands before-

• Eating

• Chopping vegetables

• Cooking

• Feeding a child

• Applying or removing your contact lenses

• Dressing wounds

• Caring for an ailing person

• Pouring pet food into your pet’s food bowl

Do clean your hands after-

• Using the washroom

• Sneezing or coughing into your hands

• Handling the trash or your trash can

• Cooking

• Feeding a child

• Petting a dog or cat

• Handling animal waste such as dog faeces

• Coming home from outside

• Handling currency notes, coins or the ATM card

• Touching anything that is regularly used by others like handrails, doorknobs, elevator buttons etc.

A few more important do’s

• Urge your child to wash hands. Make sure his/her hands are clean at all times.

• Teach children the right way of handwashing and supervise them until they learn.

• Remove your watch before wetting your hands.

• Scrub your hands thoroughly with running water before using soap as that alone will dislodge many of the germs.

• If you are using liquid soap, you will need 3-5 ml.

• If you like to use a bar of soap, rinse it before washing your hands to remove dirt from its surface.

• If your hands are dirty, wash them as many times as needed.

• Your hands must be at a lower level than your elbows. Otherwise, the soapy water that contains germs might run down your arms.

• Wash every inch of your hands. Focus on the areas between your fingers and the backs of the hands

• Rub your hands for 30-60 seconds. The longer you do it, the cleaner your hands become.

• Turn off the tap while you are scrubbing and turn it back on when it’s time to wash your hands.

• Use a nailbrush or a soft old toothbrush to clean your nails.

• Rinse your hands thoroughly, make sure no soapsuds linger.

• Keep a clean hand towel or a cotton handkerchief with you. Pat your hands clean.

Do’s for hand sanitizers

• Make sure the product has not exceeded it’s ‘sell-by’ date.

• Ensure that it contains at least 60% alcohol.

• Squirt out a dollop onto your palms and spread evenly to all parts of your hands.

Handwashing don’ts

• Don’t wear a ring or wristlet while handwashing. Hand ornaments will prevent the area they encircle from being cleaned. Don’t forget to regularly disinfect rings.

• Don’t use insufficient amounts of handwash or hand sanitizer.

• Don’t use warm water.

Handwashing is a habit that can benefit everyone. So we should all pledge to do it at the right times and the right way.