10 compulsory hand washing situations

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Thorough hand washing is the basis of personal hygiene. Unfortunately, we often forget about this activity, although the fingers that touch the face so often carry the most microorganisms. For this reason, as well as the fear caused by the presence of the COVID-19 coronavirus in Poland, we decided to recall 10 situations in which it is mandatory to wash your hands.

Hand hygiene – essential every day

Washing hands should be a basic reflex not only after leaving the toilet, but also after sneezing or coughing. Bacteria and viruses may appear on our hands, which, after contact with the mucosa of the eye or mouth, will have an ideal environment to cause a cold – especially in the autumn and winter season. However, this is not the only time when thorough hand washing is essential. We forget that we can also transfer parasites on our hands. To prevent contamination of yourself or others, practice good hygiene and wash your hands thoroughly.

1. See also: Seven most dangerous viruses in the world

Mandatory hand washing – return home

Every time we leave the house, we are exposed to viruses, bacteria and parasites. To avoid taking them home, wash your hands after each return.

Mandatory hand washing – use of the toilet

Microbes are also found on toilet seats, not only in public toilets, but also in household toilets. They cannot be avoided, which is why it is so important to wash your hands thoroughly after each visit to the toilet.

Mandatory hand washing – stroking the pet

We should also wash our hands after each contact with our pet. Although he was vaccinated, we should not ignore zoonoses (toxoplasmosis or toxocarosis). For this reason, you should wash your hands after throwing sand from the cat’s litter box or walking with your pet or playing in your home garden.

1. Check also: Bacterial zoonoses

Mandatory hand washing – throwing garbage

Hands should also be washed after throwing out the rubbish. Contact with rubbish can cause various diseases, as well as opening a garbage can door or holding a garbage can lid by the handle.

Mandatory hand washing – before beauty treatments

You should also wash your hands before touching your face. This rule applies especially to beauty treatments performed both at home and in a beauty salon. Hand disinfection will avoid the transfer of germs, bacteria and parasites to the face, including the eyes, nose and mouth. This also applies to the removal and / or insertion of contact lenses.

Mandatory hand washing – after cleaning

Although we should start cleaning at home with gloves that will protect our hands primarily against chemicals contained in detergents, we often forget about it when wiping the dust. However, we should not forget about washing our hands to protect ourselves against microorganisms that can be dangerous after contact with the mucosa.

1. Also read: Allergy’s home – ways to reduce allergens at home

Mandatory hand washing – after contact with a sick person

We should wash our hands every time we come into contact with a sick person. This does not only apply to hospital conditions, but also to situations in which we talk to someone who has a cold or suspected flu.

Mandatory hand washing – before preparing a meal

The obligation to wash your hands also applies to the preparation of the meal. We do not want to transfer microorganisms to individual products. This also works the other way around – wash your hands thoroughly after finishing work.

Mandatory hand washing – before and after changing a baby’s diaper

The penultimate point concerns changing the baby’s diaper, both the baby and the changing person. We do not want the child to become infected with microbes that can lead to the development of the disease.

Mandatory hand washing – after finishing work in the garden

The last rule applies to all household work performed most often in the period from spring to autumn. While everyone should wear gloves to avoid damaging the skin, it is also important to ensure that soil microbes do not spread to our skin.

How to wash your hands properly?

In the case of these 10 situations, after which we must wash our hands, it is also worth recalling the rules of thorough hand hygiene. It’s not about putting your hands under the tap for a moment and then shaking them off the water.

Washing hands should especially take into account the palms, the space between the fingers and the little finger, which is most often overlooked during care. Use soap or lotion to wash your hands. Detailed hygiene rules are summarized in the graphic below:

This you need to know:

1. Washing your hands can protect against viruses. How to do it effectively?
2. How to decontaminate an apartment after an illness?
3. Cough – when does it appear and what can it signal?
4. What are the symptoms of the disease caused by the coronavirus?

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