Daily hand care is the key to health – instructions for washing and disinfecting hands

The basic activity that protects us from all sorts of diseases is hand hygiene. We should wash our hands as often as possible, especially in seasons when the number of infections caused by bacteria and viruses rises. You should remember about it especially when you visit public places frequented by a lot of people. You should also pay particular attention to proper hand hygiene before eating and after using the toilet.  You need to remember that when you wash your hands frequently and thoroughly, you get rid of microbes which can be transferred on human skin.

The key is a correct hand-washing technique. This activity seems to be very simple, but not everyone knows how to do it properly. The basic rule is that when your hands are visibly soiled, you should first wash them with soap and water and then disinfect them. If you might have had contact with germs, e.g. when you touched various surfaces in public transport or shops, you should use ad hoc measures to quickly disinfect your hands.

How to wash your hands properly?

We present 7 steps to proper hand washing. When you use this technique, the whole procedure should take about 30 seconds:

1. Wet your hands with warm water and apply soap to your palm.
2. Thoroughly lather your palms by rubbing them against each other.
3. Lather your fingers by interlacing them.
4. Lather the thumb of one hand using the other hand and repeat on the other side.
5. Lather the back of one hand using the palm of the other hand and repeat on the other side.
6. Thoroughly lather both wrists.
7. Carefully rinse the soap from your hands and dry them.

Before you wash your hands, take off your watch and jewellery. Remember to thoroughly wash the thumbs, fingertips, and nails. These spots are often overlooked, and a lot of microbes can be found there. Hand hygiene is also an important aesthetic aspect.

Another vital activity is hand disinfection. When you choose a disinfectant, pay special attention to its ingredients and application. Always choose products of proven quality. Remember that alcohol-based products can make your skin dry. Therefore, it is also important to use a moisturising hand cream during the day to take good care of your skin and protect it from microtrauma. In this case, a correct technique is also the key.

Effective hand sanitization: how to do it right?

Below we present 8 steps to effective hand disinfection:

1. Apply the disinfectant to your palm.
2. Rub your palms together to distribute the product.
3. Rub the palm of your right hand against the back of the left hand and repeat on the other side.
4. Thoroughly rub the product into your fingers by interlacing them.
5. Rub the top of your right-hand fingers against the palm of your left hand and repeat on the other side.
6. Rub your thumb with the palm of your hand to rub in the disinfectant and repeat on the other side.
7. Rub the palm of your left hand with your right-hand fingers in circular motions and repeat on the other hand.
8. Let your hands dry.

If these two activities are performed correctly and regularly, they can prevent many diseases. Remember to use effective and proven products for both washing and disinfecting your hands. Hygiene is the key to our health and that is why it is so important to remember about it.

If you are looking for tried and tested products, we encourage you to check out the offer of PCC Group:

• liquid soaps,
• disinfectants.