“This kitten is cute,” says a little girl. She touches and holds it. Next to her is her mother shaking hands and talking to a friend. When they come home, mother asks her child to wash her hands. Yes, most of adults love doing it because they know the importance of washing hands.
We do many activities everyday and touch many germs. We touch telephone, toilet, money and so on. We also shake hands with people. Whatever you did today, you came into contact with germs that cause many diseases. It’s easy for a germ on your hand to end up in your mouth.
Think about how many food you eat with your hands. Washing your hands is the best way to stop germs from spreading, so those germs don’t get a chance to make you or someone else sick.
Think about how many food you eat with your hands. Washing your hands is the best way to stop germs from spreading, so those germs don’t get a chance to make you or someone else sick.
- After using the bathroom
- After touching animals
- After blowing your nose or coughing
- Before eating and touching food
- Before and after visiting a sick relative or friend
- Before treating wounds or giving medicine
- Before inserting or removing contact lenses
- Before handling garbage or something that could be contaminated, such as a cleaning cloth or soiled shoes
- And so on
Use Hand Soap
Hand soap is very useful to kill germs, so don’t forget to use it in washing your hands. There are many kinds and brands of hand soap in the market. We can choose the best one for our skin. Several people complain that washing hands too often makes their hands dry. May be they can try other hand soap.
How To Wash Your Hands
- Wet your hands with running water.
- Apply liquid, bar or powder soap.
- Lather well.
- Rub your hands vigorously for at least 20 seconds. Scrub all surfaces, including the backs of your hands, wrists, between your fingers and under your fingernails.
- Rinse well.
- Dry your hands with a clean or disposable towel or air dryer.
- If possible, use your towel to turn off the faucet.
- Keep in mind that antibacterial soap is no more effective at killing germs than is regular soap. Using antibacterial soap may even lead to the development of bacteria that are resistant to the product’s antimicrobial agents — making it harder to kill these germs in the future.
Hand Sanitizers
Sometimes we need to clean up our hands while we are in the car, bus, class, or other places that we can’t find water around. Alcohol-based hand sanitizers — which don’t require water — are an excellent alternative to soap and water. If you choose to use a commercially prepared hand sanitizer, make sure the product contains at least 60 percent alcohol. High concentration of alcohol is needed to kill germs and replace the function of hand soap. Then follow these simple steps:
- Apply enough of the product to the palm of your hand to wet your hands completely.
- Rub your hands together, covering all surfaces, for up to 25 seconds or until they’re dry.
Well, have you wash your hands?
