Washing your hands: how to do it correctly
Hand washing is a simple and immediate gesture that we take too often for granted and which, in general, we tend to do in a hurry and in a rather superficial and coarse way. Yet, guaranteeing "adequate hand hygiene is of fundamental importance, for us and our body, because it allows us to stay away as much as possible from germs, bacteria and possible infections, guaranteeing ourselves and those around us conditions and safer and healthier hygiene standards.
This practice is in fact one of the most effective virtuous behaviors to avoid living with germs and bacteria, as the video you saw at the beginning shows us in detail.
Never as in these times, moreover, has washing hands become a categorical ethical and moral imperative, as well as a practice of usual hygiene and common sense, in particular, since the coronavirus pandemic saw us at the forefront to contain it contagion and spread as much as possible. This simple gesture is in fact one of the "weapons" we have to fight against the virus and protect ourselves, our health and that of the people around us. But there is one: it is necessary to wash your hands thoroughly, respecting the scientific indications provided by the Ministry of Health and by the WHO, the World Health Organization.
So here are tips and information on how to wash your hands correctly, when it is necessary to do it, with which products and for how long: a small personal hygiene guide to live safely while respecting our health and that of others.
1. When to wash your hands
Let's start from this simple assumption: it is necessary to wash your hands before touching mucous membranes or delicate parts of our body, including nose, eyes and mouth, especially after returning home or coming into contact with dirty or unsafe surfaces, possible carriers of viruses, germs and bacteria.
Specifically, these are the most common situations that would require careful washing of our hands.
- Before eating, and obviously before cooking, touch food and kitchen utensils.
- After touching raw foods, especially meat, fish and eggs.
- Whenever you return home, especially if you have been in crowded public places, including public transport, bars, offices, gyms.
- After going to the bathroom.
- Before putting on contact lenses or making dressings or touching wounds.
- After changing nappies, handling waste or using household cleaning products and potentially toxic substances.
- After sneezing and blowing your nose.
2. Which products to use
To wash your hands well we cannot limit ourselves to the simple use of running water. It is in fact necessary to use soap, preferably liquid and containing an alcoholic solution, especially where the hands are particularly dirty or the need to clean them is greater. proceed with the right washing technique, as we will see shortly.
If you are away from home and need to clean your hands, you can count on the help of antibacterial gel and disinfectant. These are pocket products, easy to handle and transport that you can always carry with you. In this case it will be necessary to spread a small amount on the palm of one hand, then rub it on the other and massage effectively for at least 20-30 seconds, so as to cover the entire surface of the hands.
It is also possible to make an effective antibacterial gel at home with a simple DIY solution.
3. How to wash your hands properly
As already mentioned, to wash your hands thoroughly, it is necessary to follow a precise procedure, disseminated by the Ministry of Health and supported by the World Health Organization, which must also be taught to children, even more so in this moment that sees us engaged in containment of the coronavirus infection.
The procedure involves various steps and lasts at least 40-60 seconds for it to be fully effective. In this way, he will make sure to wash the entire surface of the hands, not only the palm and the back, but also the fingers, the space between the fingers, the thumbs up to the beginning of the wrist.
Here are all the steps necessary for a thorough washing:
1. Wet your hands with water
2. Apply enough soap to cover the entire surface of your hands
3. Rub your hands, hand to palm
4. Press the right palm over the left back, interlacing the fingers together and vice versa
5. Then rub palm to palm in an up and down motion, interlocking the fingers together
6. Press the backs of the fingers against the opposite palm, keeping the fingers tightly together
7. Take your left thumb with your denser palm and rub it in a rotation; then do the same with the other hand.
8. Rinse your hands thoroughly with water.
4. For how long
As already specified, to ensure effective hand washing, it would take 40 to 60 seconds; if you are in a hurry or if this practice is repeated many times during the day, you can also reduce the procedure a little: it is however essential to do it in no less than 20 seconds, the minimum time for a safe washing to be considered. children, you can also consider a slightly shorter time, to avoid irritation of their delicate skin: just make sure you use the right amount of an effective but not too aggressive soap and that you recommend them to follow all the steps carefully .
5. How to dry your hands
After following the procedure described above, also make sure to proceed with an effective drying.
How to do? Use a clean, dry towel, although a disposable wipe would be ideal.
In fact, damp cloths favor the proliferation of bacteria.
Then use the towel to turn off the tap if you are at home. If you are in a public bathroom, it would be best to rely on antibacterial gels at this point. If you really need to wash your hands, dry them with the paper towels provided and use one to turn off the tap.
6. Moisturize your hands after washing them
It is known that frequent and thorough washing can more easily cause chapped hands. For this, it would be good to keep them hydrated by applying an emollient cream.
This not only to counteract the effect of detergents that may be too aggressive, also to prevent irritation and infections and promote an elastic and soft skin to the touch.
