Hand Washing: A Powerful Antidote to Illness

How many times have you and your child washed your hands today? You might not have given it much thought.

It's either part of your routine, done frequently without thinking, or maybe you don't do it much at all. But as your paediatrician may have told you, hand washing may be the single most important action you and your child can take for disease prevention.

Make Hand Washing a Habit

As early as possible, get your child into the habit of washing her hands often and thoroughly. All day long, your child is exposed to bacteria and viruses - when touching a playmate, sharing toys, or petting the cat. Once their hands pick up these germs, they can quickly infect themself by rubbing their eyes, touching their nose, or placing their fingers in their mouth. The whole process can happen in seconds, and cause an infection that can last for days, weeks, or even longer.

When to Wash

Hand washing can stop the spread of infection. The key is to encourage your child to wash their hands throughout the day. For example, help them or remind them to wash their hands:

Before eating (including snacks)
After a trip to the bathroom
Whenever they come in from playing outdoors
After touching an animal, like a family pet
After sneezing or coughing, if they covers her mouth
When someone in the household is ill

Studies about hand washing in public bathrooms show that most people don't have very good hygiene habits. Hand washing does not mean just a quick splash of water and perhaps a squirt of soap as this is not nearly enough to get one’s hands clean.

Steps to Proper Hand Washing

So what does thorough hand washing involve? The Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends the following steps:

Wet your child's hands.
Apply a clean bar or liquid soap to the hands, and then place the bar on a rack where it can drain before the next hand washing.
Rub the hands vigorously together. Scrub every surface completely.
Keep rubbing and scrubbing for 10 to 15 seconds to effectively remove the germs.
Rinse the hands completely, then dry them.

About Antibacterial Soaps

Supermarket shelves are full of trendy antibacterial soaps, but studies have shown that these antibacterial products are no better at washing away dirt and germs than regular soap. Some infectious disease experts have even suggested that by using antibacterial soaps, you may actually kill off normal bacteria and increase the chances that resistant bacteria may grow.

The best solution is to wash your child's hands with warm water and ordinary soap. Regular use of soap and water is better than using waterless (and often alcohol-based) soaps, gels, rinses and hand rubs when your child's hands are visibly dirty (and with children, there usually is dirt on the hands!). However, when there is no sink available (for example, in the car) hand rubs can be a useful alternative.

How Long to Wash

Keep in mind that although 10 to 15 seconds of hand washing sounds like an instant, it is much longer than you think. Time yourself the next time you wash your hands. Watch your child while they are washing their hands to make sure they’re developing good hygiene behaviours. Pick a song that lasts for 15 seconds and sing it while you wash. Encourage your child to wash their hands not only at home, but also at school, at friends' homes, and everywhere else. It's an important habit for them to get into, and hopefully one that's hard to break!