When to Wash Your Hands

• After using the restroom.
• Before, during, and after preparing food.
• Before and after meals and snacks.
• Before inserting or removing contact lenses.
• After touching animals or handling animal waste
• After changing a diaper.
• Before and after caring for someone who is sick or injured.
• After blowing your nose, coughing, or sneezing
• More frequently when you or someone in your home is sick
• Anytime your hands are dirty

Wash Your Hands the Right Way

1. Wet hands with clean, running water (warm or cold) and apply soap, either in bar or liquid form.
2. Rub hands together to make a lather and scrub them well; be sure to scrub the backs of your hands, between your fingers, and under your nails. Do this away from running water, so the lather isn’t washed away.
3. Continue rubbing your hands for at least 20 seconds. Need a timer? Hum the "Happy Birthday" song from beginning to end twice.
4. Rinse your hands well under running water.
5. Dry your hands using a clean towel or air dry them.

*Alcohol based hand sanitizers or gels or antibacterial wipes are useful alternatives if soap and water are not available (for example, when traveling in the car or taxi on the way to a business meeting, before eating an in-flight meal or snack, outdoor work settings, etc.)