Carmon

Hand washing is a simple act with a huge impact. The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) says washing your hands properly reduces the transmission of pathogens to food, water, people, and common objects such as hand railings, door knobs, and grocery carts. Washing your hands is important all the time, but it is especially important during the holidays when you are exposed to crowds of people.

According to the CDC, the "fundamental principle of hand washing is removal [of bacteria], not killing. Is there a correct way to wash your hands? In an article titled "General Information on Hand Hygiene" the CDC recommends washing your hands for at least 20 seconds. Mayo Clinic recommends 15 seconds of hand washing on its Website. Here are Mayo Clinic's recommendations and some additional comments.

1. Wet your hands with warm, running water and apply liquid or bar soap. The soap should be clean and you should work up a good lather.

2. Scrub the back of your hands, between all of your fingers, under your fingernails, and your wrists. (You will have to demonstrate this for young children.) Kids may enjoy using a nail brush, but it is not necessary.

3. Rinse your hands well. Leaving soap on your hands could cause a skin rash and make "winter itch" worse.

4. Dry your hands with a clean clot towel or paper towel. Moist hands can still transmit bacteria so dry your hands well. Do not use the reusable cloth towel rolls that some rest rooms have because they transmit bacteria. Dry your hands with tissues instead.

5. Turn off the faucet with a towel.

Kids are probably not going to follow all of these steps and getting them to wash for 20 seconds can be hard. To make sure young kids wash their hands long enough have them sing "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star" two times. Bring hand sanitizer with you when you are out and about. You and your children should wash your hands after:

* using a public rest room

* blowing your nose

* touching your eyes or contact lenses

* shaking hands

* changing a diaper

* bagging garbage and putting it in trash cans

* pet contact (holding, petting, feeding, walking)

* touching raw food

* touching dirty clothes, blankets, sheets, pillowcases

* going to a grocery or department store

* being in a public place, such as a theater

Though hand sanitizers are handy, the CDC says they are not a replacement for frequent and proper hand washing. Hand sanitizers do not clean hands that are really dirty or contaminated, adds the CDC. Protect yourself against colds and flu this holiday season by washing your hands well. Young kids will be more apt to wash their hands if the soap is easy to reach. Holiday bottles of pump soap will also encourage hand washing.

Copyright 2006 by Harriet Hodgson

http://www.harriethodgson.com http://www.healthwriter.blogspot.com

Harriet Hodgson has been a freelance nonfiction writer for 28 years. She is a member of the Association of Health Care Journalists and the Association for Death Education and Counseling. Her 24th book, "Smiling Through Your Tears: Anticipating Grief," written with Lois Krahn, MD, is available from http://www.amazon.com. A five-star review of the book is posted on Amazon. Another review is posted in the American Hospice Foundation Website under the "School Corner" heading.