Wash Hands with Water

• You want to wet your hands with water then apply soap. Rub your hands together until the soap lathers up. Make sure you scrub all the surfaces of your hands for 15-20 seconds. The CDC suggests that you sing "Happy Birthday" twice if you need a timer. Thoroughly rinse your hands under running water. Pay attention to the back of your hands, under your fingernails, wrists and between your fingers. Use an air dryer or paper towel to dry your hands. Make sure to turn the faucet off with a paper towel, if possible. This will ensure that you don't re-contaminate your hands when you touch the faucet.
  
  

Wash Hands without Water

• Use hand sanitizer if water and soap are not available. Make sure the hand sanitizer or gel is alcohol-based. Apply the sanitizer in the palm of one hand. Then rub your hands together. Be sure to rub the gel all over your hands and fingers until they are completely dry.
  
  

When to Wash Hands

• Wash your hands after you go to the bathroom, handle garbage, handle animals or animal waste, change diapers, or after you cough, blow your nose or sneeze. Also, wash your hands before and after you tend to a sick person, treat a cut or wound, prepare or eat food.
  
  

Ways Diseases are Transmitted

• The CDC cites common ways disease-causing germs are transmitted via contaminated hands. For instance, harmful germs are transmitted from uncooked or raw foods, such as chicken, to other foods like salad. Or germs can be passed to individuals who had unclean hands while they prepared a meal. Harmful germs can be spread when people sneeze, cough or rub their eyes and then touch people or objects like doorknobs. Parents can pass germs to their children if they don't wash their hands after working with raw food or changing diapers.