Hand washing

Hand washing is the most effective way to prevent the spread of infection.

When would you usually wash your hands?

When you're caring for children, it's important to be particularly careful to wash your hands every time you may be at risk of spreading germs or bacteria.

Wash your hands:

• before handling food and drink
• after going to the toilet
• before and after administering first aid
• after using paint or other materials
• after cleaning up body fluids
• before and after nappy changing
• after handling pets
• after blowing your nose
• after coughing into your hand
• after scratching your head or playing with your hair.

Can you think of any other times when you might need to wash your hands?

Read through the hand washing procedure below. It shows the correct way to wash your hands to reduce the spread of infection.

	Step 1: Go to the basin.
	Step 2: Turn on the cold water tap.
	Step 3: Turn on the hot tap and adjust the flow of the running water to the desired temperature.
	Step 4: Wet your hands.
	Step 5: Apply the soap.
	Step 6: Rub your hands together briskly, including the backs of your hands, between your fingers (don't forget the thumbs!) and around your nails and wrists.
	Step 7: Rinse your hands under the running water for ten seconds.
	Step 8: Turn off the tap firmly, using a paper towel. Contribute to water savings by ensuring the water flow has completely stopped.
	Step 9: Dry your hands with a paper towel.
	Step 10: Dispose of the paper towel without re-contaminating your clean hands.