The Single Best Way to Prevent Illness

Each new flu season we seem to be bombarded with an endless crop of suggestions on ways to keep the bugs at bay: vitamins, herbs, sanitizers, vaccines–you name it. But the most effective way to prevent illness often gets lost in the shuffle (probably because it is so strikingly simple): Wash your hands!

According the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), handwashing is the best way to prevent infection and illness. And imagine–it is cheap, it does not hurt the environment, and there is no question about negative implications for our own health. It is such an obvious win-win.

The CDC recommends that we wash our hands before preparing food and after handling uncooked meat and poultry, before eating, after changing diapers, after coughing, sneezing, or blowing one’s nose into a tissue, and after using the bathroom–to that I would add a good wash as soon as you or your children come home from school, work, errands, playing, etc.

Here’s how to wash your hands most effectively:

Wet your hands with clean running water and apply soap. Use warm water if it is available.

Rub hands together to make a lather and scrub all surfaces.

Continue rubbing hands for 15-20 seconds. (For my kids, I recommend singing a round of ABCs.)

Rinse hands well under running water.

When out, dry your hands using a paper towel or air dryer. If possible, use your paper towel to turn off the faucet.

Always use soap and water if your hands are visibly dirty.

If soap and clean water are not available, use an alcohol-based hand rub to clean your hands.

Read about what type of soap to avoid here: The Trouble with Triclosan in Your Soap
Read about making your own homemade all-natural hand sanitizer here: Theive’s Oil Homemade Hand Sanitizer

Disclaimer: The views expressed above are solely those of the author and may not reflect those of
Care2, Inc., its employees or advertisers.

Cheryl B.

6:28AM PDT on Nov 3, 2011

thanks for the info

send a green star

Carole R.

4:54PM PDT on Oct 6, 2011

Great ideas that I have used for years.

Diane S.

4:05PM PDT on Oct 6, 2011

I use a good vegan, natural soap, that wont dry the skin like Castille soap.

Kirsten B.

2:49AM PDT on Sep 14, 2011

So nice to see something so basic presented here, without touting the use of special products or other substances.

Thank you!

Sanja T.

11:58AM PDT on Sep 10, 2011

interesting...thanks

Nancy P.

3:07AM PDT on Sep 6, 2011

Don't use antibacterial soaps and drying your hands properly are just as important as washing your hands properly.

Loo S.

9:14AM PDT on Sep 5, 2011

noted, thanks.

Silvija V.

6:41AM PDT on Sep 5, 2011

Thanks, I knew that already, but it's good to see it written

Carlene V.

6:21AM PDT on Sep 5, 2011

Thanks. I notice more and more department stores, etc., have waste recepticles by the door as you walk out so you can open the door with your paper towel and throw is away as you exit. Also, more and more with no door to open, like Costco. My grand daughter and I sing Happy Birthday while we wash our hands.

Jo F.

6:39PM PDT on Sep 4, 2011

Glad that you pointed out how using that papertowel afterwards is important - to shut off faucet, and even open the door if nesc.

Door handles and faucets are the ideal common communicator for all sorts of pathogens in washrooms (when you consider what's on the hands that handle them)...So cutting that vector out of the equation (after washing) will keep handwashing first from being waste of time. Thanks