Healthy Living Tip
It’s Almost Too Good to Be True!
The very simple and easy task of washing your hands can reduce your risk of getting a host of illnesses including the common cold, the flu and any other disease spread through germs on another person’s hands. If those germs are on your hands and you touch your mouth, eyes or nose, you can get sick.
Basic hand washing doesn’t take a lot of time and doesn’t require more than old-fashioned soap and water. (No need to use antibacterial soap; just use regular soap.)
Simply:
- Wet you hands
- Lather up and thoroughly clean your hands for 20 seconds (sing Happy Birthday to You two complete times)
- Rinse
- Use a paper towel to dry
- Use that same towel to turn off the water
Or, if soap and water aren’t available, use any alcohol-based hand sanitizer.
How many times during the day should you wash your hands? Often! And especially before you touch or serve food, eat or drink, treat a cut or other wound or take care of someone who is sick. And... after you use the bathroom; change a diaper; cough, sneeze or blow your nose; take care of someone who is sick or after any other activity where you might either come into contact with or spread germs.
More hand washing tips can be found at the Centers for Disease Control Website.