kidshealth.org. Why Do I Need to Wash My Hands
"Did
you
wash
your
hands?"
How-many-times
did
you
hear
that
today?
Probably
a
lot.
But
why
are
adults
so
hung
up
on
hand
washing?
Why
are
they
so
in
love
with
lather?
Why
is
hand
washing
so-important?
Washing
your
hands
is
the
best
way
to
stop
germs
from
spreading.
Think-about
all
of
the
things
that
you
touched
today
—
from
the
telephone
to
the
toilet.
Maybe
you
blew
your
nose
in
a
tissue
and-then
went
outside
to
dig
around
the
dirt.
Whatever
you
did
today,
you
came
into
contact
with
germs.
It's
easy
for
a
germ
on
your
hand
to
end-up
in
your
mouth.
Think-about
how-many
foods
you
eat
with
your
hands.
You
can't
wear
rubber
gloves
all
day
long,
but
you
can
wash
your
hands
so
those
germs
don't
get
a
chance
to
make
you
or
someone-else
sick.
When
should
I
wash
my
hands?
So
when
are
the
best
times
to
wash
your
hands?
When
your
hands
are
dirty
Before
eating
or
touching
food
(like
if
you're
helping
cook
or
bake,
for
example)
After
using
the
bathroom
After
blowing
your
nose
or
coughing
After
touching
pets
or
other
animals
After
playing
outside
Before
and
after
visiting
a
sick
relative
or
friend
What's
the
best
way
to
wash
my
hands?
Now
you
have
the
when
and
the
why
of
hand
washing.
But
did
you
know
that
a
lot
of
people
don't
know
how
to
get
their
paws
perfectly
clean?
The
next
time
you're
told
to
step
up
to
the
sink
and
scrub
up,
remember
these
handy
hints:
Use
warm
or
cold
(not
hot)
water
when
you
wash
your
hands.
Use
whatever
soap
you
like.
Some
soaps
come-in
cool
shapes
and
colors
or
smell
nice,
but
whatever
kind
gets
you
scrubbing
is
the
kind
you
should
use.
Antibacterial
soaps
are
ok
to
use,
but
regular
soap
works
fine.
Work
up
some
lather
on
both
sides
of
your
hands
(front
and
back!),
Your
wrists,
and
between
your
fingers.
Don't
forget
to
wash
around
your
nails.
This
is
one
place
germs
like
to
hide.
Wash
for
about
10
to
15
seconds
—
about
how-long
it
takes
to
sing
"Happy
birthday."
(sing
it
quickly
two-times
or
just
once
if
you
go
nice
and
slow.)
Rinse
and
dry
well
with
a
clean
towel.
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