posted Apr 15, 2012, 9:28 AM by Todd Fox
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updated Sep 24, 2016, 8:01 AM
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Wash or Teach Others Hand Washing for Increased Hygiene and Infection Control Compliance
On the surface Hand Washing seems simple, but doing it improperly can recontaminate your hands and leave you vulnerable to illness and disease. Hand washing, as deemed by the CDC (Center for Disease Control and Prevention), is the single best way to avoid infection. Hand washing helps break up germs, dirt and other harmful particles on your hands with the combination of soap, water, friction and a paper towel. On the surface hand washing is simple and elementary. However, many people do it improperly and actually walk away almost as contaminated (and sometimes more so) than before they washed. Plus, if hand washing is so simple then why don't all of us do it? Follow the steps to proper hand washing to develop good hygiene and infection control habits. Once you have consistently incorporated infection control principles into your daily routines then you can experience increased health. Please note, we do not support over cleaning, hygiene OCD, Germaphobia or other intense behaviors. We support a responsible approach to hygiene and recommend living in accordance with a few sound infection control principles.
You can download a one-page PDF of the hand washing guidelines at the bottom of this page. We do not restrict the number of copies where this sheet is used. So, please fee free to pass this PDF around or make as many copies as you like. Here is an example screenshot of the PDF available. If you have questions on how to best wash, teach others or promote hand hygiene then please email us (info@OUTFOXprevention.com) or go to our site www.OUTFOXprevention.com. Enjoy!
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Step
1. Prepare Towel before Washing Hands
If available,
prepare a paper towel before you wash your hands. Most hand towel
dispensers are automatic so wave your hand to have some of the paper
extracted. Do not remove the paper from the dispenser at this time.
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Step
2. Turn Water On, Remove Jewelry and Wet Your
Hands
Turn the faucet
on or wave your hand over the sensor if it is automatic. If temperature
control is available, get the water to a very warm level. Caution, do not
turn it too hot in order to avoid burning and to avoid eventual dry/cracking
skin. A comfortable level is adequate.
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Step
3. Apply Soap Liberally
Apply the soap
available in the restroom or use the soap you use for traveling
and emergency situations. Lather the soap so that you can effectively cover
the palms and backs of your hands. Carrying soap with you can come in handy.
See your local store for sheet soap which is as thin as paper and intended
for single use.
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Step
4. Rub Hands Together and Create Friction
Once the soap
is applied, rub your hands together. Rub every part of your hands on your
palms and the backs of the hands. Friction causes the germs and other harmful
particles to leave the surface of your skin.
Since soap generally (most soaps anyway) don't KILL germs, you need to work
hard to get all the germs off your hands through friction.
The general rule is to rub your hands for 10-20 seconds. The spots that are
often missed during hand washing include (but not limited to): The areas
between fingers, the fingernail areas and wrist/thumb area. If you want to
teach a hand washing lesson with Glo Germ (fluorescent powder or gel that can
show where people miss while washing if used under a UV black light) see:
http://www.outfoxprevention.com/home/handwashing-kits-with-glo-germ/hand-washing-training-kits-for-infection-control
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Step
5. Rinse Hands Off
After rubbing
the soap all around and creating friction, hold you hands under the running
water. Rub the soap off and hit all areas of your hands once more as the
water washes the suds and germs off. Be careful not to touch the sides of the
sink now that your hands are clean. Once the soap has been washed off, leave
water running.
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Step
6. Dry Hands with the Prepared Paper Towel
After rinsing
your hands (without turning the faucet off), grab the prepared paper towel
from the dispenser. Dry your hands and slightly rub the towel over them to
get off any remaining germs.
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Step
7. Turn Faucet Off
After drying,
use the paper towel to turn the faucet off. Using a paper towel allows your
hands to not be recontaminated.
If you think about the procession of hand washing, people touch and turn the
faucet on when their hands ARE DIRTY. If you are to touch the faucet once
again after washing, you would be getting the same germs on your hands.
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Step
8. Leaving the Restroom
With the paper
towel still in hand from turning off the faucet, turn to leave the restroom.
If needed or possible, use the paper towel to open the door of the restroom.
This ensures that you are not getting germs from those that used the restroom
but did not washing their hands properly (or at all for the matter). Touching
a bathroom door can contaminate your hands with the germs of others' feces...
who wants that!
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Step
9. Dispose of the Paper Towel and Leave Clean!
Throw the paper
towel away as soon as possible so that the germs are not spread to you. This
may seem like an intense process for hand washing, but it is quite simple
when you get in the habit. All parts of the process are intuitive but many times
we are in a rush. If you dedicate yourself to following the steps over a few
weeks then it will be less cumbersome. Good luck and we hope you can OUTFOX
infection to avoid illness and disease!
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OUTFOX information is copyrighted but can be used if a link and reference to www.OUTFOXprevention.com is used. Thanks for helping OUTFOX infection so we can all avoid illness and disease more often!
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