Hand Washing
Recommended Hand Washing Process
Have you heard of the 7-step medical hand washing process?
The World Health Organization (WHO) and Centers for Disease Control (CDC) recommend a 7-step hand washing process that will help you clean your hands thoroughly.
This process works for washing your hands with soap and water or hand sanitizer.
CDC Hand Washing Video
Step-by-Step Washing Instructions
Step 1: Rub palms together.
Step 2: Rub the back of both hands.
Step 3: Interlace fingers and rub hands together.
Step 4: Interlock fingers and rub the back of fingers of both hands.
Step 5: Rub thumb in a rotating manner followed by the area between index finger and thumb for both hands.
Step 6: Rub fingertips on palm for both hands.
Step 7: Rub both wrists in a rotating manner. Rinse and dry thoroughly.
Step 8: Dry
Drying your hands is a critical step of hand hygiene. Wet or damp hands can spread up to 1,000 times more germs than dry hands!
If you wash your hands with soap and water, be sure to dry your hands thoroughly with a paper towel.
If you use hand sanitizer, keep rubbing your hands until your hands are dry. It takes about 20-30 seconds for hand sanitizer to dry. Germs are only killed when the gel or foam is dry.
