How to wash hands correctly

In our busy lives it is easy to believe that by splashing a bit of water and soap on our hands we are killing any germs that may be on there and we are safe to hold a baby, shake hands or prepare food. However it is vital to follow the 20/20 rule.

Wash your hands for 20 seconds and dry them for a further 20 seconds as follows:

 Hand washing

• Remove jewellery from hands
• Wet your hands
• Apply a liberal amount of soap
• Rub hands together for at least 20 seconds (long enough to sing the birthday song twice). Make sure you lather beyond your wrists, between your fingers and under your finger nails
• Throughly rinse with clean running water
• Dry your hands as per the chart below
• Turn tap off with a paper towel

Hand drying techniques

Drying type                                                        Drying time method

Single use towels or roller towel                   20 seconds, using 2 sections of the towel
Paper towels                                                     20 seconds, use 2 paper towels
Air dryer                                                              45 seconds, rub hands together while moving them under dryer

Using a hand sanitiser

To use a hand sanitiser simply pump or spray onto your hands, rub them together until the sanitiser has evaporated - usually around 15 - 20 seconds. Do not rinse with water after as the sanitiser has done all the work for you!