What is hand hygiene?
Hand hygiene is having clean hands. It means cleaning your hands with soap and water or an alcohol-based sanitiser. It is the best way to prevent the spread of germs. You can get germs on your hands by touching your eyes, mouth or nose. Even if your hands look clean, they can still have germs on them. Germs spread when you touch another person or an on object.
Babies and children need to wash their hands too. They can get very sick because their immune systems aren't fully formed. Teaching children about hand hygiene sets up lifelong habits and helps to stop the spread of germs.
When to wash your hands
- After you cough, sneeze or blow your nose
- Before, during and after you prepare food
- After going to the toilet, helping someone go to the toilet or changing a nappy
- After cleaning up blood, vomit or another bodily fluid
- Before handling medicine or applying an ointment
- Before taking care of someone who is sick
- Before you enter or leave a healthcare facility
- When your hands are visibly dirty
- After smoking
- After touching an animal
How to wash your hands using soap and water
- Wet hands with warm water.
- Apply soap.
- Rub your hands together for at least 20 seconds. Make sure you cover all surfaces, including the back of your hands and in between the fingers.
- Rinse hands with water to remove all soap.
- Dry your hands well with a paper towel, clean hand towel or an air dryer.
How to clean your hands using an alcohol-based sanitiser
If soap and water is not available, you can use an alcohol-based sanitiser to clean your hands. Remember it is poisonous if swallowed.
- Put about half a teaspoon of sanitiser in the palm of your hand.
- Rub your hands together. Make sure you cover the backs of your hands and in between the fingers.
- Make sure you keep rubbing until your hands are dry, this usually takes 30 seconds.