Handwashing is part of good hygiene, helping to reduce the spread of infectious germs, which helps reduce how often illnesses such as diarrhoea and colds occur.1-4 This works because handwashing helps to remove germs and viruses from your hands.5 We often touch our face, including our eyes, nose and mouth, without being conscious of it, and this helps the germs and viruses on our hands to enter our body, thus causing illness.5 Furthermore, when we touch food or surfaces, the germs and viruses spread onto the food or surface, which can then go on to infect other people when they eat the food, or touch the surface.5

There are a few steps to wash your hands6:

1. Wet hands with water.
2. Apply enough soap to cover all hand surfaces.
3. Rub hands palm to palm.
4. Place one hand over the other and rub. Repeat for the other hand.
5. Interlace your fingers and rub in between them
6. Interlock your fingers and rub.
7. Grasp one of your thumbs with your other hand, and rotate that thumb in the grip. Repeat for the other thumb.
8. Rub your fingernails of both hands in a circular motion on your palms.
9. Rinse and dry your hands.

The key times to wash your hands are7:

• Before, during and after food preparation.
• Before and after eating food.
• Before and after caring for someone that is vomiting or has diarrhoea.
• Before and after treating a cut or wound.
• After using the toilet.
• After changing diapers or wiping for a child that has used the toilet.
• After blowing your nose, coughing or sneezing.
• After touching an animal, animal feed, pet food or animal waste.
• After touching garbage.
• After touching your face mask.
• After leaving a public place.
• After touching objects that may be frequently touched by other people.
• Before touching your face.

• Handwashing is an effective and easy way to stop the spread of germs and illnesses.
• There is a proper way to wash your hands.
• There are many good times to wash your hands, but the key point is that you should wash your hands whenever your hands come into contact with a surface that potentially has germs, and before you touch your face.

1. Ejemot-Nwadiaro RI, Ehiri JE, Meremikwu MM, Critchley JA. Hand washing for preventing diarrhoea. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews. 2008. doi:10.1002/14651858.cd004265.pub2
2. Aiello AE, Coulborn RM, Perez V, Larson EL. Effect of hand hygiene on infectious disease risk in the community setting: A meta-analysis. American Journal of Public Health. 2008;98(8):1372-1381. doi:10.2105/ajph.2007.124610
3. Freeman MC, Stocks ME, Cumming O, et al. Systematic review: Hygiene and Health: Systematic review of handwashing practices worldwide and update of Health Effects. Tropical Medicine & International Health. 2014;19(8):906-916. doi:10.1111/tmi.12339
4. Rabie T, Curtis V. Handwashing and risk of respiratory infections: A quantitative systematic review. Tropical Medicine and International Health. 2006;11(3):258-267. doi:10.1111/j.1365-3156.2006.01568.x
5. Show Me the Science - Why Wash Your Hands? Centres for Disease Control and Prevention. Updated September 10, 2020. Accessed October 2, 2022. https://www.cdc.gov/handwashing/why-handwashing.html
6. How to Handwash? World Health Organisation. Published May 2009. Accessed October 2, 2022. https://www.who.int/docs/default-source/patient-safety/how-to-handwash-poster.pdf?sfvrsn=7004a09d_2
7. When and How to Wash Your Hands. Centres for Disease Control and Prevention. Updated March 14, 2022. Accessed October 2, 2022. https://www.cdc.gov/handwashing/when-how-handwashing.html