Handwashing Guidelines

Hand washing is a routine habit for most people. It seems natural and par for the course to wash your hands after using the restroom or before a meal. What you may not realize, however, is that hand washing can be largely ineffective for germ removal if done too infrequently or incorrectly. Fortunately, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has established explicit guidelines for washing to ensure that hands are properly sanitized.

When to Wash Your Hands

• The first step to proper hand washing is knowing when exactly you need to cleanse your hands. According to the CDC's official hand-washing guidelines, it is important to wash your hands after using the bathroom, after coughing or sneezing, after handling dirty equipment or utensils, before and after preparing food, and before and after interacting with other people and animals.

Washing Procedure

• Turn on the sink and wait until the water is running and warm. Rub your hands together vigorously with soap for a minimum of 20 seconds under the warm water. Be sure to clean your wrists, the backs of your hands and in between your fingers. Rinse the soap off of your hands completely and leave the water running. Do not use your now clean hands to directly turn off the faucet.

Drying Procedure

• You have washed your hands according to the CDC's hand-washing guidelines, and the faucet is still running warm water. At this point, use a fresh cloth or paper towel to dry your hands completely. Using the towel as a buffer between your clean hand and the faucet, turn off the water.