Washing our hands is something we all do several times a day – after bathroom breaks, to stop the spread of colds and flus and to generally stay healthy. The problem is, many don’t know how to do it the right way. So how do you wash your hands properly, and how long should you wash your hands? Use our five steps to make sure you’re getting it right every time.
How to wash your hands properly using 5 easy to remember steps
- Wet your hands by running them under water – it doesn’t matter if the water is warm or cold, as long as the water is clean.
- Lather up liquid or bar soap between your hands, applying the lather underneath your nails, between your fingers and to the backs of your hands too.
- Scrub your hands. How long should you wash your hands by scrubbing? 20 seconds at a minimum, interlacing your fingers and rubbing the backs of your hands and fingertips into the other palm to make sure all surface areas are cleaned.
- Rinse your hands under clean running water of any temperature.
- Dry your hands thoroughly using a powered hand dryer or a single-use paper towel. You may also wish to additionally apply hand sanitiser, rubbing this thoroughly into your hands to apply to all areas.