Hand washing is the most important thing you can do to help stop the spread
of germs that cause illnesses such as colds, the flu, diarrhea, or vomiting.
Washing your hands and your kids' hands is the best thing you can do to stop
the spread of germs. When you wash your hands it helps to remove the germs that
cause illness. We pick up these germs on our hands from touching things around
us such as people, animals, raw foods, pets and many objects in our daily lives.
Wiping your child's nose or changing his/her diaper is a common way to get germs
on your hands. You can't avoid getting germs on your hands, but you can reduce
the chance of infecting yourself and others by knowing when to wash.
Scrub all parts of your hands with soap for at least 15 seconds.
Rinse under warm running water.
Dry hands with a clean cloth or paper towel.
If you are in a public restroom, use the towel to turn off the tap.
Use hand lotion after washing to prevent skin from getting sore. Waterless
hand rinses (alcohol-based) are an easy way to clean your hands. They are
as good as a hand wash as long as your hands aren't visibly dirty.
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