Hand washing is “A powerful antidote to illness” for children

Effective disease prevention advice for children – everywhere!

“How many times have you and your child washed your hands today?” asks the Healthy Children website. They stress how important it is to make hand washing a habit.

“Proper” hand washing is very important. For some a quick splash of water will suffice and maybe a touch of soap. But, says Healthy Children, this type of approach will not even begin to get hands clean.

Steps to proper hand washing

They suggest the approach recommended by the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), which involve the following steps:-

• “Wet your child’s hands.  
• Apply clean bar soap or liquid soap to the hands, and then place the bar on a rack where it can drain before the next hand washing.  
• Rub the hands vigorously together. Scrub every surface completely.  
• Keep rubbing and scrubbing for 10 to 15 seconds to effectively remove the germs.  
• Rinse the hands completely, then dry them.”