Cleanliness Is Next to Healthiness!

Kids pick their boogers, play in the dirt, put clay in their mouths, hug and hold hands with their cold-ridden classmates that are oozing with sickness, and press their faces and hands up against any surface in sight; windows, ledges, tables, and screens…you name it. And above everything, they’ll then put their fingers in their mouths and to their faces after they’ve swept up nearly every germ and particle of dust they can find! What’s worse is that as we grow, it often times gets harder to remember to clean up the vestiges from these nasty habits. We unknowingly continue to spread these germs and infectious diseases, and not just to others but we contribute to our own illnesses due to our carelessness. The importance of washing our hands should be of everyone’s concern and never undermined. While it is the simplest way to prevent spreading germs, it is something that we can all make an effort to encourage each other to do.
 

How should you be washing your hands?

1.      Apply a generous amount of soap onto your hands

2.      Lather them well and rub thoroughly for about 20 seconds

3.      Get beneath your fingernails and around your wrists

4.      Rinse well when you’re finished

5.      Dry yourself with a clean towel/paper towel

6.      If possible, shut off the faucet with a towel/paper towel in hand

7.      When you’re in public, and if you can, try to open the door with a paper towel in hand

 

When should you be washing your hands?

1.      Before, during, and after preparing meals

2.      Before you eat food

3.      Before and after you care for someone who is sick

4.      After treating a cut/wound

5.      After using the toilet

6.      Before and after dealing with dirty diapers

7.      After you blow your nose, sneeze, or cough

8.      Before and after you care for/bathe an animal

9.      After you deal with garbage

10.  Before and after putting in/taking out contact lenses

11. After dealing with household/garden chemicals or cleaning soiled shoes

 
Also, keep a pocket hand sanitizer with you at all times. If there happens to be a hand sanitizing dispenser in sight, take advantage of it and use it. However, keep in mind that hand sanitizer does not work efficiently if your hands are visibly dirty, so don’t use it if that’s the case. Wash your hands instead. You should use hand sanitizer that contains at least 60% of alcohol. Just squeeze a generous amount into the palm of your hand and rub together; make sure you get every spot on your hands. You don’t have to use a towel to dry them off as you would after you wash your hands. It’s best to just let them air dry.
 

When should you use hand sanitizer?

1.      After shaking hands

2.      After touching surfaces others have touched (door knobs, handrails, telephones, keyboard/mouse, etc.)

3.      After handling money

4.      After blowing your nose

5.      After sneezing and coughing into your hands

It is essential that you try to keep your hands clean and wash them dutifully. We do everything with our hands: handle money, passing papers, typing on keyboards. It’s one of the best and most effective ways to prevent illnesses. The last thing we need especially during flu season is everyone catching germs from one another. Remember: Cleanliness is next to healthiness!