Hand Hygiene: Know the Importance & Techniques of Handwashing

"Wash your hands!" is probably a phrase you heard a lot as a child and that you tell your children to do all the time. Cleaning your hands with soap and running water, then patting them dry, is the process of handwashing. It's crucial to frequently wash your hands throughout the day, particularly after using the loo and before preparing meals. Yet simply knowing when to wash your hands is insufficient. You also need to be proficient in hand washing technique.

However, what exactly does hand washing entail, and why is technique important? Using the right technique, scrub for at least 20 seconds to get rid of potentially harmful bacteria. To improve the efficacy of the soap, wet your hands first.

You and your family can maintain great health by regularly and thoroughly washing your hands. If you get ill, frequent hand washing can help prevent the spread of germs to other people inside and outside your house. Therefore, relearning this seemingly easy skill can benefit you, the people you care about, and even people you've never met.

Why is Hand Hygiene Important?

One of the best ways to prevent the spread of infections is to cleanse your hands from time to time. From petrol station pumps to your kitchen counters, germs are present everywhere. Many germs can be warded off by your immune system and can be stopped from causing serious damage. However, infections can still sometimes cause illness. Due to this, washing your hands well becomes very important.

According to research, maintaining clean hands can help prevent 1 in 5 respiratory infections and 1 in 3 diarrhea-causing illnesses. This is due to the fact that your hands provide germs with an easy way to travel to reach your gut or lungs.

However, most germs can be eliminated before they reach their intended target by washing your hands thoroughly and for a sufficient amount of time. If you stay well, you won't transfer the germs to people in your house or to people you meet in public. Germs can be stopped in their tracks by washing your hands.

What are Hand Hygiene Steps & Techniques?

Master the art of hand washing, in order to get rid of germs maximally. Follow the following steps

• Put some soap on your hands, wet them under running water, and turn off the tap.
• By rubbing the soap between your hands, create a lather. 
• Scrub your hand’s front and back.
• Scrub fingers & finger spaces.
• Scrub area under your nails.
• Take a minimum of 20 seconds to scrub your hands.
• Rinse your hands under running, clean water.
• Take a clean towel to pat dry your hands.

How Do Germs Spread?

In addition to keeping you healthy, washing your hands can stop the spread of many diarrheal and respiratory infections. Germs can transfer from one person to another or from surfaces to persons if you:

• Use dirty hands to touch your mouth, nose, and eyes.
• Use dirty hands when preparing or consuming food and beverages.
• Touch items or surfaces that are contaminated.

Moments of Hand Washing

Washing your hands frequently can help you and those you love stay healthy, particularly in the high-risk periods when you are more likely to contract and spread germs:

• Before preparing food
• Before and after ingesting anything 
• Before and after taking care for vomiting or diarrhea patient
• Before and after managing an injury
• After using levatory
• Following a toilet-using child's cleanup or nappy change
• Following a cough, sneeze, or blow of the nose
• Following contact with an animal, animal feed, or animal excreta
• Following the handling of pets
• Following contacting the trash

Types of Hand Washing

There are following three types of hand washing:

• Social Hand Washing: The purpose of social handwashing is to prevent bacterial growth and infectious diseases by thoroughly cleaning hands of any visible dirt or debris.
• Antiseptic Hand Washing: Compared to social handwashing, antiseptic handwashing is a stricter technique for cleaning hands. The purpose of this process is to eradicate microorganisms present on the skin's surface.
• Surgical Hand Washing: The strictest type of handwashing protocol with notable variations is surgical handwashing. This is a cleaning procedure that is used before sterile operations, including surgical procedures.

Tips to maintain your Hand Hygiene

Following are the tips with which you can enhance your hand hygiene:

• Keep hand sanitizer on hand. Use a hand sanitizer with at least 60% alcohol content if soap and water aren't available.
• Maintain short, clean nails. Long nails can harbor bacteria, so keep them clipped and cleaned.
• Teach kids how to wash their hands properly. Lead by example and encourage kids to wash their hands frequently.
• Handle frequently touched surfaces with disinfectant. Doorknobs, light switches, and phones should all be cleaned and disinfected on a regular basis.

Conclusion

Handwashing is probably one of those things you do effortlessly out of routine, just like brushing your teeth or doing the dishes. Since you've done it a million times, you may not give your method much thought. However, it's a good idea to periodically assess yourself to see if you can do better.

This may require you to scrub your hands for a few extra seconds longer when you wash your hands. You might also need to remind yourself to use a fresh towel to completely dry your hands. Gaining proficiency in handwashing can take a little more time, but it will pay off greatly in the long run by keeping you and your family healthy.

FAQs

Q1: Why is the importance of soap in hand hygiene?
A: Soap and friction work together to help remove oil, grime, and microbes, including pathogenic microbes, from skin so that hands can be cleaned.

Q2: For how long should hand washing be done?
A: According to scientific research, you must scrub your hands for 20 seconds in order to get rid of dangerous chemicals and germs. You will not get rid of as many germs if you wash for a shorter period of time.

Q3: What should be the temperature of water for hand washing?
A: For handwashing, the water should be at least 100˚F (38˚C).

Q4: Is it okay to sanitize my hands rather than wash them?
A: It varies. Every hand washing technique operates a little bit differently. Cleaning your hands with soap and water is an efficient way to get rid of germs and dangerous materials. Certain germs can be killed by hand sanitizers.

Q5: Does frequent hand washing pose a risk?
A: A good thing can sometimes harm in excess. While it's crucial to wash your hands at specific times, lathering up too frequently or for an extended period of time can harm your hand skin.