Proper Hand Hygiene to Prevent Illness

Do you know one of the easiest ways to help prevent illness? Washing your hands! This seemingly simple task can help you rid your hands of germs and keep yourself and your loved one from getting sick. Here are some compelling reasons why you should wash your hands and guidelines for proper hand hygiene.

Why Hand Washing Is Important

We use our hands and fingers to do a lot of different tasks. Open the door, change the channel on the TV, prepare food, cover a sneeze. As we go throughout our day, our hands come in contact with germs (bacteria and viruses) that can cause illness — like the flu, salmonella, colds, and COVID-19. If not cleaned off, those germs could get into our own bodies through the mouth, nose, eyes, cuts, etc., or they could spread to others.

If germs enter the body, it’s up to the immune system to fight them off. But, even if you have a healthy immune system, you could still get sick. Or you could carry the germs to your loved ones who are at a higher risk of getting sick, like young children, seniors, or individuals with weakened immune systems. If they get sick, they could face serious health complications.

So, it’s best to always be safe and wash your hands with soap thoroughly.

RELATED CONTENT: 5 Ways to Prevent the Common Cold

When to Wash Your Hands

There is no set limit to the number of times you wash your hands each day. The average American washes their hands about 8 times per day. But you may need to wash your hands more depending on your occupation, health, or daily activities.

Generally, you should wash your hands thoroughly in each of the following situations:

Before, during, and after preparing food
After using the restroom
After changing diapers
Between handling raw food and cooked food
Before and after eating
After sneezing, blowing your nose, or coughing
After working outside
After touching animals, animal feed, or animal waste
After being around individuals who are sick
After touching garbage or taking out the trash
After touching surfaces that may be high in germs (like door handles, gas pumps, electronic registers, shopping carts, etc.)
Before and after putting in or taking out contact lenses
After treating a cut or wound

This is just a general guideline of when you should wash your hands. There are, of course, a number of other scenarios when you should clean your hands thoroughly. And if you are ever wondering whether to wash your hands, it’s best to be safe and wash them