House Call: Wash your hands the right way to help stop spread of coronavirus, flu and other illnesses

Handwashing is in the news a lot lately with the coronavirus and flu season continuing. And, hey, we’ve all been washing our hands since we were kids. It’s second nature. But now with serious needs to make our hands germ free and alternatives like hand sanitizer, things are a bit more complicated.

Doing a good job of handwashing takes a little time and diligence. Our hands are full of cracks and crevices that can sneak by unwashed if we’re not careful. Experts recommend spending 20 seconds washing your hands with warm water and soap – it can be antibacterial soap or not, as either has the same germ-fighting effects when used properly.

Start by rubbing your palms together with soap, then interlace your fingers together with palms together and rub back and forth vigorously. Next put your right hand on top of your left with fingers interlaced and rub. Finally, switch to left on top of right with fingers interlaced. Your nails might demand extra attention and scrubbing, too. This method covers palm and back of hand along with 360 degrees of the fingers. If you’re prepping food, you might choose to wash higher up your wrists, too.

When you’re done washing your hands, use a clean towel to turn off the water, dry, and then use your paper towel to open the bathroom door. That way you don’t pick up more germs just after you got rid of them.

An interesting fact about COVID-19 is it links with oils so when you use soap to get oil off your hands, you’re doing the most effective thing you can do to remove the virus.

Hand sanitizers provide an interesting alternative. These alcohol-based sanitizers are equally as effective as soap and water when used properly. However, we still recommend handwashing as a first go-to because hand sanitizers don’t get dirt off – they just move it around. Of course, if you use the stuff with children, they generally wipe it – and the dirt – off on their pants.

Some patients ask me about whether there’s such a thing as using too much hand sanitizer. While it may have a drying effect on your hands, there are no other reasons not to use it as often as you choose. Think of health care workers – we use sanitizer every time we enter or leave a patient room. I do prefer washing my hands, but it takes more time to do it properly, and I’d rather spend that time with my patients.

Part of the challenge with handwashing is making sure we do it regularly. Most experts recommend washing after using the restroom, of course, but also before and after preparing food, before eating food, after changing a diaper, after touching animals and after any contact with blood or bodily fluids. That’s a lot of handwashing, but for each of those circumstances, you can imagine why it’s important.

Getting kids to wash their hands properly is no easier than getting them to brush teeth properly. To make sure they wash that full 20 seconds, ask them to sing the alphabet song – that’s just about the right amount of time. I know some parents who inspect hands from time to time to ensure good washing, and if you’re not sure if your child has washed, you can always check if their hands are wet and smell like soap.

Handwashing is the most effective way to stop the spread of illness, but other tactics help, too. Coughing into your elbow, or “chicken wing,” keeps germs contained, plus keeps them off your hands. Minimize touching your face to keep the germs on your hand away from places they could enter your body. And, finally, if you don’t have to touch things in public, don’t! Some of us don’t need to touch railings or doors or other surfaces.

Together, we can stop the spread of germs that cause COVID-19 and other illnesses.