Handwashing is one of the best ways to protect yourself and your family from getting sick. But how long should you really spend scrubbing with soap and water? The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends washing your hands for at least 20 seconds.
Why Is Handwashing Important?
Washing your hands with soap and water can remove germs, avoid getting sick, and prevent the spread of germs to others. Handwashing with soap removes germs from hands. This helps prevent infections because:
- People frequently touch their eyes, nose, and mouth without even realizing it. Germs can enter the body through the eyes, nose and mouth and make us sick.
- Germs from unwashed hands can get into foods and drinks while people prepare or consume them. Germs can multiply in some types of foods or drinks and make people sick.
- Germs from unwashed hands can be transferred to other objects, like handrails, table tops, or toys, and then transferred to another person’s hands.
- Removing germs through handwashing therefore helps prevent diarrhea and respiratory infections and may even help prevent skin and eye infections.
Teaching people about handwashing helps them and their communities stay healthy. Handwashing education in the community:
- Reduces the number of people who get sick with diarrhea by 31%
- Reduces diarrheal illness in people with weakened immune systems by 58%
- Reduces respiratory illnesses, like colds, in the general population by 21%
Handwashing also helps prevent the spread of antimicrobial resistance, which occurs when germs become resistant to the drugs designed to kill them. Regular handwashing with soap and water is one of the best ways to avoid getting sick and spreading illness to others.
When Should You Wash Your Hands?
To stop the spread of germs, the CDC recommends washing hands:
- Before, during, and after preparing food
- Before eating food
- Before and after caring for someone who is sick
- Before and after treating a cut or wound
- After using the bathroom, changing diapers, or cleaning up a child who has used the bathroom
- After blowing your nose, coughing, or sneezing
- After touching an animal, their food or waste
- After handling pet food or pet treats
- After touching garbage
- If your hands are visibly dirty
It’s especially important to wash your hands:
- Before eating or preparing food
- Before touching your eyes, nose, or mouth
- Before and after caring for someone who is sick
- Before and after treating a cut or wound
- After using the bathroom, changing diapers, or cleaning up a child who has used the bathroom
- After blowing your nose, coughing, or sneezing
- After touching an animal, animal feed, or animal waste
- After handling pet food or pet treats
- After touching garbage
How to Wash Your Hands Properly
Follow these five simple steps every time you wash your hands:
- Wet your hands with clean, running water (warm or cold), turn off the tap, and apply soap.
- Lather your hands by rubbing them together with the soap. Lather the backs of your hands, between your fingers, and under your nails.
- Scrub your hands for at least 20 seconds. Need a timer? Hum the “Happy Birthday” song from beginning to end twice.
- Rinse your hands well under clean, running water.
- Dry your hands using a clean towel or air dry them.
How Long Should You Wash Your Hands?
According to the CDC, you should wash your hands with soap and water for at least 20 seconds. That’s about the time it takes to sing “Happy Birthday” twice through.
Some other ways to mark 20 seconds:
- Sing “Happy Birthday” song from beginning to end twice.
- Sing the “ABC” song once.
- Count slowly to 20.
- Hum the “Jeopardy” theme twice.
Washing your hands thoroughly with soap and water for this amount of time allows you to remove more germs from your hands and lower your risk of infection. Many diseases and conditions are spread by not washing hands with soap and clean, running water.
Proper Handwashing Times for Specific Situations
The CDC provides guidelines for specific handwashing times based on the activity:
| Activity | Recommended Handwashing Time |
|---|---|
| Before, during, and after preparing food | 20 seconds |
| Before eating food | 20 seconds |
| Before and after caring for someone who is sick | 20 seconds |
| Before and after treating a cut or wound | 20 seconds |
| After using the bathroom | 20 seconds |
| After changing diapers or cleaning up a child who has used the bathroom | 20 seconds |
| After blowing your nose, coughing, or sneezing | 20 seconds |
| After touching an animal, animal feed, or animal waste | 20 seconds |
| After handling pet food or pet treats | 20 seconds |
| After touching garbage | 20 seconds |
| If your hands are visibly dirty | 20 seconds |
As you can see, 20 seconds is the standard handwashing time recommended for most activities that expose your hands to germs.
Tips for Effective Handwashing
Follow these tips for the most effective handwashing:
- Use warm water: Warm water helps remove oil and grease that can trap germs.
- Use plain soap: Antibacterial soaps have not been proven more effective than plain soap for killing germs.
- Generate a good lather: Rub your hands together vigorously to create some bubbles—this helps lift and remove germs.
- Scrub all hand surfaces: Clean the fronts, backs, between fingers, and under nails—germs can hide anywhere.
- Rinse well: Make sure you remove all the soap and germs—a thorough rinse is key.
- Dry completely: Damp hands promote bacterial growth. Pat hands dry with a paper towel or clean hand towel.
- Use a paper towel to turn off the faucet: Doing so avoids recontaminating your clean hands.
- Moisturize: Keeping hands hydrated helps avoid dry, cracked skin—a breeding ground for germs.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
Some common handwashing mistakes to steer clear of include:
- Not using soap
- Not scrubbing vigorously enough
- Not washing fronts, backs, fingers, and nails
- Not rinsing off all the soap
- Not washing long enough (at least 20 seconds!)
- Not drying hands completely
- Using a dirty towel to dry hands
- Touching the faucet with clean hands to turn off the water
Being mindful to avoid these pitfalls means your handwashing technique will be optimized to remove the most germs.
Using Hand Sanitizer
When soap and water are not available, the CDC recommends using an alcohol-based hand sanitizer with at least 60% alcohol. Hand sanitizers can reduce the number of germs on hands, but do not eliminate all types of germs.
How to use hand sanitizer:
- Apply the product to the palm of one hand.
- Rub your hands together.
- Rub the product over all surfaces of your hands and fingers until your hands are dry.
Hand sanitizer is not a substitute for handwashing with soap and water, which should be done whenever possible. The CDC recommends the following:
- Use hand sanitizer when you cannot use soap and water.
- Use an alcohol-based sanitizer that is at least 60% alcohol.
- Supervise young children when using hand sanitizer.
- Rinse off hand sanitizer before touching eyes, nose, and mouth.
Implementing Handwashing in Public Settings
In public restroom facilities and other public places, following measures can promote proper hand hygiene:
- Make sure bathrooms are always stocked with soap and paper towels or functional hand dryers.
- Provide easily accessible handwashing areas for public use.
- Post signs reminding people to wash hands, highlighting key times like before eating.
- Place hand sanitizer stations in strategic spots for convenience.
- Encourage employees to wash hands frequently and properly.
Schools, workplaces, restaurants, stores, healthcare facilities, and other public settings should ensure handwashing is easy, convenient, and encouraged through prompts and reminders.
Teaching Children About Handwashing
It’s important to teach children proper handwashing techniques early on:
- Lead by example—let them see you washing your hands frequently.
- Make it fun—sing a 20-second song or turn it into a game.
- Be patient—allow time for them to wash thoroughly on their own.
- Provide step-by-step guidance and give feedback.
- Set up routines, like before meals and after using the bathroom.
- Place stools by sinks so they can reach more easily.
Instilling these habits young helps ensure kids stay healthy and avoid spreading illness.
Improving Hand Hygiene Globally
Promoting proper handwashing worldwide can help prevent the spread of infectious diseases. Some strategies for improving global hand hygiene include:
- Educating communities about proper handwashing techniques.
- Making soap and clean water more available in developing regions.
- Encouraging handwashing as part of major health initiatives.
- Working with local and national governments to prioritize hand hygiene.
- Partnering with schools, healthcare facilities, workplaces, and community settings to implement handwashing programs.
- Monitoring adherence to handwashing recommendations.
- Supporting the development of handwashing stations and infrastructure.
With concerted effort from public health organizations, governments, businesses, and local communities, handwashing education and accessibility can be advanced globally to reduce the spread of disease.
Conclusion
Proper hand hygiene through handwashing with soap and water for at least 20 seconds, along with avoiding close contact with those who are sick, are the foundation of protecting against infection and illness. Washing hands at key times with effective scrubbing, rinsing, and drying techniques removes pathogens responsible for communicable diseases. Implementing public handwashing initiatives, teaching children hygiene habits early, and promoting handwashing worldwide can help reduce the global burden of disease.
