Can you sing "Happy Birthday"?  How about the alphabet song?   Well, if you can, then you can also wash your hands.  Sounds weird, but when you wash your hands it should take at least 20 seconds, long enough to sing "Happy Birthday", twice. Most people wash, if they do at all, for about 3 seconds which is pretty useless. 

The best way to do it is to lather up with soap and warm water and wash vigorously, making sure you get your palms, between fingers and the backs of your hands.  If you don't have soap and water, use an alcohol sanitizing gel which can go anywhere with you. If you wear rings, be sure you get under them as they harbor germs like crazy.  Also, clean under your nails.  Germs especially like to hide there.  The CDC provides a good summary of when and how to wash, which should be posted everywhere.  Why?  Because most Americans do a lousy job of it. 

You should do this if you are in the hospital, as I described in the last post on infections or everyday., specially before you eat, when you are preparing food and after you go to the bathroom.   An important tip:  Don't use antibacterial soap.  It kills good bacteria and well as bad and makes you more susceptible to infection.  You can actually be too clean, though that's not a problem for most of us.

When you leave the restroom, open the door with a paper towel or clean handkerchief.  Often people who left before you haven't washed their hands, then you come along  and touch the same door handle they did.  Gross! With all the nasty bugs out there like E coli , salmonella and staph to name a few, it makes sense to keep yourself protected.  It turns out soap and water are two of the most effective tools we have.

So next time you wash your hands, sing "Happy Birthday" X 2 while you're at it.  Then you can be sure they're really clean!