One of the best and easiest ways to protect yourself from the spread of germs is to wash your hands properly. MSK’s Bill Piersol talks to Janet Eagan to get a tutorial on how to scrub your hands.
Show transcript
For starters, turn on the water. Make sure it’s warm or comfortable.
It doesn’t need to be very hot. It’s that your hands are comfortable.
Now you’re going to wet your hands. We want you to wet them before you put the soap on.
Surfactant releases the dirt and germs off your skin.
Now, there’s a specific way that you’re going to use friction.
Rub your hands together, one hand on top of the other, and then the same on the other side.
Get the backs of your hands, your thumbs, and finally your fingertips. Because everything you do is with your fingertips.
(Don’t forget to wash between your fingers.)
Now, rinse your hands, and dry your hands very well.
Do not shut off the sink until your hands are dry.
And you want to shut off the faucet with the paper towel, so you don’t recontaminate your hands.