Handwashing helps keeps the germs away

In the midst of the COVID-19 crisis we are currently experiencing, good handwashing has never been more important.
 According to the Centers of Disease Control, handwashing should be done before, during and after preparing food, before eating food, before and after caring for someone who is sick, before and after treating a cut, after using the toilet, after changing a child’s diaper or helping a child use the toilet, after blowing your nose, sneezing, caring for animals, or touching garbage.
 Good handwashing is the best way to prevent the spread of germs. In order to prevent the spread of germs in the community from entering your home or vice versa, follow these five steps every time.
 1. Wet your hands with clean running water and liberally apply soap to your hands.
 2. Lather your hands by rubbing them together with the soap. Be sure to cover your entire hands. Do not forget the backs of your hands, between your fingers, and underneath your finger nails.
 3. Scrub your hands for at least 20 seconds. Humming a short song such as Happy Birthday from beginning to end twice will be long enough to get the job done!
 4. Rinse your hands well under clean running water.
 5. Dry your hands using a clean towel or air dry them.
 While soap and water is the best choice to clean your hands in most situations, it is not always readily available. Alcohol based hand sanitizer that contains at least 60 percent alcohol is a very good option to cleanse hands when soap and water is not available.
 Sanitizers can quickly remove most germs but they do not remove all germs. They will not work if your hands are visibly soiled with grease or dirt, or are messy from cleaning up feces. Soap and water must be used at these times.
 Hand sanitizer is used by applying about a nickel to quarter sized amount to the palm of the hand. Hands should be rubbed vigorously to cover all surface areas of the hands, fingers and wrists until the hands are dry (this should take about 20 seconds).
 Good hand hygiene saves lives. Taking the extra time to be sure to clean your hands and prevent the spread of germs will keep you and your family happy and healthy for as long as possible. In uncertain times, being able to control what we can is a gift. This is something we can control.
 Blessings to you all and happy handwashing!