The most important thing you can do to prevent the spread of illness is to wash your hands and your children's hands thoroughly and often.
This is how you should wash your hands:
Rub your hands together vigorously for at least 20 seconds using warm running water and soap. Make sure you have lots of bubbles.
Wash under fingernails, between fingers, back of hands and wrists.
Rinse your hands well under running water.
Dry hands completely. In the home, change hand washing towels often.
In public bathrooms:
Dry your hands with a single-use paper towel (or hot air blow dryer).
If your towel dispenser has a handle, be sure to roll the paper down before you wash your hands. This helps to ensure that you will not pick up new germs from the handle.
For hand-held faucets, turn off water using a paper towel instead of bare hands so you will not pick up new germs on your clean hands.
Open the bathroom door with the same paper towel.
These are times when you should wash your hands:
After you use the bathroom or help a child use the bathroom
After you change a diaper
After you handle items soiled with body fluids or wastes such as blood, drool, urine, stool or discharge from nose or eyes
After you clean up messes
After you handle a sick child
Before you prepare or serve food
Before you eat or drink
After touching an animal or pet
Teach and show children how to wash hands correctly. They should wash hands after:
Arriving home from day care, a friend's home, an outing or school
Using the toilet or have their diapers changed
Touching a child who may be sick or handling soiled items
Eating or drinking
Touching an animal or pet
Always practice healthy habits:
Cover mouth and nose with a tissue when sneezing or coughing, or turn away when coughing. Immediately throw away used tissues, followed by careful hand washing.
Avoid sharing objects if they have been in the mouth (pacifiers, toys, silverware, etc.); wash objects in hot, soapy water between use.
Wash your hands with soap and water after coughing, sneezing or touching common surfaces like door knobs, keyboards and telephones. You can also use alcohol-based hand cleaners.
Hand Washing Instructions
Use soap and running water
Rub your hands vigorously for 20 seconds
Wash all surfaces, including:
Backs of hands
Wrists
Between fingers
Under fingernails
Rinse well
Dry hands with a paper towel
Turn off the water using a paper towel instead of bare hands
