How to wash your hands
It takes at least fifteen seconds to wash your hands properly - this is about how long it takes to sing 'Happy Birthday to You' twice through!
Encourage children to wash their hands by showing them how to do it, and by setting them a good example.
Can’t see the video? You can download the video to your computer (Quicktime, 24MB).
How to wash your hands:
- Wet hands with water
- Apply enough soap and handwash to cover all hand surfaces
- Rub hands palm to palm
- Right palm over the other hand with interlaced fingers and vice versa
- Palm to palm with fingers interlaced
- Backs of fingers to opposing palms with fingers interlocked
- Rotational rubbing of left thumb clasped in right palm and vice versa
- Rotational rubbing, backwards and forwards with clasped fingers of right hand in left palm and vice versa
- Rince hands with water
- Dry thoroughly with towel. Duration of procedure: At least 15 seconds
To see the correct way of washing your hands, please see the steps outlined above.
Acknowledgement goes to the World Health Organisation for the use of their hand washing technique diagrams.