As we enter the holiday season, it is the perfect time to adopt good handwashing practices to stay healthy throughout the winter months. Flu season is typically observed from October to May with high peak activity occurring between December and February. This often comes with an increase in transmission of respiratory viruses that can easily spread through contact with contaminated hands that are not washed properly which can put a damper on holiday celebrations.
Lana Dbeibo, MD, an associate professor of clinical medicine at the Indiana University School of Medicine said washing your hands is important because it protects you from respiratory diseases, which cause coughing, upper respiratory infections and pneumonia. Handwashing also helps stop the spread of gastrointestinal bugs, which can lead to nausea, vomiting and diarrhea. All of these germs can be contracted by touching contaminated surfaces or handling food improperly.
Read on to learn handwashing best practices, according to Dbeibo, to help you and your loved ones stay healthy and stop the spread of germs this winter.
Don't rush:
A helpful guideline for effective handwashing is to ensure you scrub your hands for at least 20 seconds. A fun way to time this is by singing the "ABC" song or "Happy Birthday."
Be thorough:
When washing your hands, it is easy to focus only on the palms and assume they are clean. However, three commonly missed areas are the backs of your hands, your thumbs, and under your nails.
"Training yourself on the same steps every time can help," Dbeibo said. "If you're going to redesign how you do your hand washing, redesigning the steps in a certain order and repeating them will eventually make it feel more natural and automatic."
From start to finish, it is important to cover every step of handwashing thoroughly.:
- Start with your palms.
- Clean the back of the opposite hand with one hand.
- Scrub between your fingers.
- Wash the backs of your fingers.
- Clean your thumbs.
- Scrub under your nails.
- Wash your wrists. (This is especially important if you work in a hospital, restaurant, daycare or anywhere else your wrists may come into contact with many surfaces.)
Use soap and water:
Washing hands with soap and water is the most effective method because it kills more bacteria. However, in the case that soap is not available, hand sanitizer is the next best option. Antibacterial soaps are no longer recommended because they do not provide any additional protection compared to regular soap. Instead, use sanitizers containing ethanol or isopropanol, as they are the most effective.
"It's even better if they include a moisturizer to prevent your hands from dying out." Dbeibo said.
If your hands are visibly soiled, Dbeibo recommends physically removing whatever is on your hands first, then using soap or sanitizer to wash hands.
Dry hands safely:
Although they might be quicker, automatic hand dryers have a risk of spreading contamination so your hands might still have bacteria on them even after washing. Using paper towels or simply air drying are two of the ways to ensure that all your hard work does not go to waste.
