hand washing or hand disinfection as he called it, reduced mortality

rates significantly. The surprise:

not many believed him. His ideas were rejected by the then medical

community.

Times have changed. Now we know that keeping hands clean through proper hand

washing is one of the most important steps we can take.

Clean hands helps to avoid getting sick and to stop the spread of germs to others.

Make sure you are not only washing hands, but

washing hands properly.

The first step is to wet your hands with clean,

warm, running water.

Add liquid soap and rub hands together vigorously until lather appears.

Wash wrists, palms, back of hands, fingers, and fingernails.

Think about how many germs can reside under jewelry

and long or artificial nails.

Wash hands for at least 20 seconds. Need a timer? A good idea

is to sing or hum the Happy Birthday song twice.

The next step is to rinse

hands thoroughly under warm, running water.

Now, dry hands with a clean

paper towel.

Use the paper towel to turn off the water taps.

By following these proper hand washing steps, you are supporting very

important health and safety practices in child care and school.

So, when should we wash hands? A lot!

When arriving for the day, or when moving from one group of children to another.

Wash hands before and after eating,

handling food, feeding a child, administering

medication, and when using sensory play such as sand

and water play. Always wash hands after diapering, toileting,

handling bodily fluids, wiping noses, mouths,

or cuts. Wash hands also after handling animals

and animal cages, or handling garbage.

Now that you have reviewed how to properly wash your hands,

you will be better able to encourage and to teach children the same -

how to properly wash their hands. Keeping hands clean through

proper hand washing is one of the most important steps we can take

to avoid getting sick and spreading germs to others - a great healthy practice.