Notes

Good Hand Hygiene Steps
STEP 1 | Wet hands with warm running water.





Decorative. Hand under running water.





STEP 2 | Add liquid soap, then rub your hands together, making a soapy lather.

Do this away from the running water for at least 20 seconds, being careful not to wash the lather away.

Wash the front and back of hands, between all fingers, under and around fingernails, and under jewelry.
The 20 seconds at first seems like a long time. Try singing your favorite song and teach the children to sing a song to learn the correct length of time. Typical choices can begin with songs such as the ABCs, Itsy Bitsy Spider, Row Row Row Your Boat, or any other personal favorite or made-up song.
Liquid soap is required for all early education and child care programs—bar soap cannot be used in licensed programs.


Decorative. Bottle of soap





Places to pay special attention to as these areas are often the most frequently missed spots when hands are washed.

STEP 3 | Rinse hands free of soap under running water.

Let the water run back into the sink, not down the elbows. Leave the water running at this point.



Decorative. Image of rinsing soap off hands.







STEP 4 | Dry hands thoroughly with a clean, disposable paper towel or air dry with a blower.

Remember the handwashing fact—damp hands spread 1000 times more germs than dry hands.
Family child care homes may use individual towels—each child needs their own labeled towel that does not come into contact with another child's towel.


Decorative. Image of drying hands with a paper towel.





STEP 5 | Turn faucet off using the paper towel.

Throw the paper towel into a hands-free trash container. Hand lotion is recommended to keep skin from becoming dry and cracked (can create an opening for microorganisms).





Decorative. Image of turning the faucet off using a paper towel.





In the day-to-day care of young children, adults expose their hands to contaminated items or bodily fluids and increase the risk of transmitting pathogens to the environment. Routine hand hygiene is the best practice to reduce these microorganisms—which reduces the instances of illness.