How to Sanitize Your Hands

Knowing the correct way to sanitize your hands when you wash them can make all the difference in preventing the spread of germs and infectious microbes. Many people take the act of hand washing for granted or simply don't know the best method to use. The most common mistake is not washing long enough to remove enough bacteria from the hands or forgetting about the areas between the fingers or beneath the fingernails. Hand sanitizers today are widely relied on. Although they can be helpful, they can also be misused if too little is applied or the sanitizer misses the spaces beneath the nails. Fortunately, these concerns can be addressed with the adoption of just a few simple techniques. You will need antibacterial soap and a clean towel, plus optional hand sanitizer, preferably one containing triclosan.

Things You'll Need

• antibacterial soap (liquid or bar) warm running water clean towel, paper towel, or automated air dryer (avoid using commonly shared cloth towels) nailbrush (optional, but recommended) hand sanitizer (optional, but recommended)

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Instructions

• 1

  Moisten your hands in warm water.

• 2

  Use a quarter-size or larger amount of antibacterial liquid soap, or lather generously with antibacterial bar soap.

• 3

  Massage your hands in the lather up to your wrists, top and bottom, between your fingers, and your fingertips (including beneath your nails) for five to seven seconds.

• 4

  Continue massaging your hands in the lather beneath the running water while you mentally count for 20 seconds. This is the amount of time that most experts agree is necessary to eliminate most pathogens. To make sure that at least 20 seconds pass, count, "One-one thousand, two-one thousand, three-one thousand ..." all the way to 20 (-one thousand). For children, it helps to tell them to sing the "ABC song" to themselves while they wash their hands. The song takes approximately 20 seconds to sing.

• 5

  Dry your hands on a clean towel (an automated air dryer is best) and use the towel to shut off the water faucet. Using hand sanitizer immediately after washing your hands is optional but a good idea if you need to sanitize your hands for medical or health reasons. Allow the sanitizer to air dry before using your hands. This will take less about 15 seconds.