So just how do you wash your hands?

[Milkfairy]

How many of us can honestly say we wash our hands properly?

Hand washing is the best defence we all have from catching any infection

youtu.be/3PmVJQUCm4E(Not working as expected?)

[Healthyheart1]

Wash them like a surgeon x

[Milkfairy Heart Star in reply to Healthyheart1]

Yes!

However how many of us have been taught to wash our hands this way?

Doctors, nurses, midwives and other healthcare professionals are taught how to ' scrub up'

[Lezzers]

Thanks milkfairy. Being a bit paranoid bout germs I always wash my hands like this, I do get some strange looks though, I wonder if people think I've wee'd on. My hands 😂 ! My company is very on the ball with coronavirus advice, daily e mails etc. However, only this week I saw a young girl use the toilet, stick her hands under cold water for a moment or two, a couple of seconds in the air dryer and off she went!! I've taken to frequent sanitising everytime I move from my desk!

[Calliope153 in reply to Lezzers]

Hate to tell you this Lezzers but some young people are not aware of handwashing techniques or the reasons behind them. At one school I worked in we introduced a compulsory trip to the toilets to handwash before going for "school dinners" as a result of a very unpleasant infectious illness doing the rounds. I was amazed parents/carers took the time to write to complain and to try to withdraw their children from handwashing routine. (And yes, we sang happy birthday).

[Lezzers in reply to Calliope153]

That's just shocking!! Why would you not want your child to be taught what is essentially just basic hygiene!

[Calliope153 in reply to Lezzers]

have sent you private message....

[Milkfairy Heart Star in reply to Calliope153]

I am curious too why wouldn't you want your child to be taught basic hygiene?

[MichaelJH Heart Star in reply to Lezzers]

What staggers me is people who pick up say apples in the supermarket and once outside eat without washing them! The last person to touch the display may have gone to the loo and not washed their hands! 🤮

[Lezzers in reply to MichaelJH]

😱 🤮

[Milkfairy Heart Star in reply to MichaelJH]

😳☠

[Sunnie2day]

My late husband (consultant neurosurgeon and avowed germaphobe) would say - 'Good start but doesn't go far enough'.

1-the video presents no simple way to time the hand washing (too easy to lose count) - singing the 'Happy Birthday' song twice (no rushing!) is a good way to easily time the length of a hand washing to fully clean.

2-stopping just before the wrists is not on. 'Hands' should be washed to at least over the wrists if wearing long sleeves, and up the forearm if wearing short or 3/4 sleeves.

3-using the paper towel to shut off the tap is the way to do it but the towel should then be carried to the door where it should be used to open the door safely without re-contaminating hands. If no bin is close enough to drop the used paper towel, carry it until a bin can be found and then use an alcohol based sanitiser immediately after dropping the used paper towel in the bin.

[Milkfairy Heart Star in reply to Sunnie2day]

Sunnie2day you should be the infection control director for the NHS & WHO😊

My favourite handwashing routine is this one as it made me laugh

trendsmap.com/twitter/tweet...

[Sunnie2day in reply to Milkfairy]

Made me laugh too - but I especially like the ending as I've seen people do exactly what he demonstrates. Good find, Milkfairy!

[Ianc2]

I once had the pleasure of being on a cruise ship after a nasty outbreak of norovirus. Signs every where saying wash your hands, and crew members catching people coming out of the toilets. More crew members catching people trying to enter eating areas. Alcohol sprays and hand wipes were used liberally. No spray - no entry (with a couple of burly crew men to catch the dodgers and take them to the back of the line)

[Fredders in reply to Ianc2]

We’ve been on several cruises and despite all the publicity about norovirus we still saw people walking straight past the hand sanitizers and not using them or getting a quick squirt and just rubbing their palms together. Also saw women walking out of the toilets without washing their hands and my husband said it was the same in the gents. The staff weren’t any better as they let passengers walk onto the ship without using the sanitizer at the end of the gangplank. As someone without a spleen I have to be very careful about hygiene and found other people’s attitude frustrating. Bet they’d moan like hell if they got the norovirus!

Wendy

[Healthyheart1]

We had washy washy man on our ship. It did get a bit I know a song that gets on your nerves. Very essential though. He was a legend on our ship x

[MRSRKA]

I still "scrub" my hands and wrists it has been a, way of life after working in a hospital for many years, it never leaves you

[Maisie2014]

Having worked in hospitals for a number of years I found the nurses were the worst offenders for not washing hands. When I asked them why I was told because they wore surgical gloves when they see patients. When my husband had an accident and I took him to A&E I wouldn’t let the nurse or doctor touch him before washing their hands. Every time he went to be checked by the nurse at the GP surgery we had to insist on her washing her hands.

[francesw47]

Went to the cinema yesterday afternoon (ballet, wonderful). As cinema was half empty I was in splendid isolation. But, did notice that a lot of people there had coughs and as far as I could see did not cough into tissue, nor was any use of hand sanitisers in evidence. Was rather shocked/alarmed. We have someway to go to effect behaviour change if we are to contain this virus. Public health messages are quite clear, and helpful advice readily available. I certainly intend to heed it.

Frances

[NorthantsSteve]

I went I to the chemist and asked the chap behind the counter ‘what gets rid of Coronavirus’

‘Ammonia Cleaner’

‘Sorry - I thought you were the pharmacist’.

[Plastow48]

You're never to old to learn.

Thanks for this.