Healthy Hand Washing

A person's hands can tell a story. Today's challenge was to take a picture of someone's hands.

I am a self-proclaimed germaphobe. When out and about, I sanitize my shopping cart prior to touching the handle, I don't touch railings, or god forbid...door knobs and handles. And I always carry hand sanitizer in my purse. While I don't think I have OCD, I do wash my hands frequently throughout the day. I am appalled at the number of people who don't wash their hands regularly, especially after using the bathroom. I thought that perhaps people don't know how it's properly done so I put together the 11 simple steps to healthy (and hygienic) hand washing:

1) Remove jewellery and wet hand and wrists with warm water.

2) Use 1 or 2 squirts of liquid or foam soap

3) Lather soap and scrub hand well, palm to palm.

4) Scrub in between and around fingers.

5) Scrub back of each hand with palm of other hand.

6) Scrub fingertips of each hand in opposite palm.

7) Scrub each thumb clasped in opposite hand.

8) Scrub each wrist clasped in opposite hand.

9) Rinse throughly under running water.

10) Pat hands dry with a clean towel.

11) Turn off water using the same towel.

It is recommended to wash your hands for at least 15 seconds (or, the length of time it takes you to sing the alphabet or the Happy Birthday song at a normal, NOT fast, pace). Regular and proper hand washing is perhaps one of the best ways to preventing illnesses such as colds and flu. :-)

Mags.