Proper Hand Washing To Prevent Illness

Cold and flu season is upon us and while annual vaccines are one way for individuals to protect themselves from catching a virus, another important step is proper hand washing.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), hand washing should happen before and after meal preparation, before eating, and after using the bathroom, blowing your nose and sneezing, coughing, touching and feeding animals, and touching garbage. When hand soap isn’t available, you can use alcohol-based hand sanitizer that's at least 60% alcohol to protect yourself against germs.

5 Steps to Proper Hand Washing

The CDC lists five steps for proper hand washing to ensure the best removal of bacteria on hands and wrists:

1. Wet hands with clean, running water and apply soap.
2. Rub hands together to produce a good lather. Make sure to get the back of the hands, between fingers and under fingernails.
3. Scrub for 20 seconds at least. The CDC suggests humming “Happy Birthday” twice as a timer.
4. Rinse hands under clean, running water.
5. Dry hands with a clean towel or using an air dryer; which ever is made available.

Hand Sanitizer

When using hand sanitizer, apply the gel to the center of your palm and rub on all surfaces of your hand until dry.

Prevent the Transfer of Germs

Hand washing helps prevent the transfer of germs from person to objects and objects to person. The CDC states that germs can enter the body through the eyes, nose, and mouth.

When using hand sanitizer, apply the gel to the center of your palm and rub on all surfaces of your hand until dry.

At the Powell Company, hand soap and sanitizers are some of the many disinfectant products sold to ensure businesses and their customers stay healthy this cold and flu season.

For more information contact a sales representative at 1-800-472-0039.