Wash, Wash, Wash Your Hands: How Good Handwashing Can Help Keep Your Family Healthy This Winter

It’s virus season.

The dark and cold of winter keep us inside more, close to one another in confined spaces. And indoor heating tends to dry out the air. The viruses that cause respiratory illnesses like the flu, RSV and COVID-19 thrive in cold, dry conditions populated by lots of hosts—in other words, people.

“Influenza and RSV (respiratory syncytial virus) are already hitting Colorado extra hard this winter,” said Heath Purdue, Infection Preventionist at Prowers Medical Center. “And COVID hospitalizations are also on the rise.”

How can we help our families stay as healthy as possible despite the current viral onslaught?

“Good handwashing is truly the most important thing,” said Tracy Williams, Prowers Medical Center Employee Health Nurse. “It really helps prevent infection spread. COVID opened people’s eyes to the importance of handwashing, but I know there is room for improvement, and we can do a better job at it.”

Our hands carry germs because we use them to touch nearly everything. Viruses and bacteria cling to our hands, then we use our hands to touch our eyes, nose, and mouth—all places where germs enter the body. According to medical studies, we touch our faces about 50 times an hour, typically without realizing it.

“Think about going into a store where there are lots of people,” Williams said. “Every cough and sneeze sends droplets of saliva into the air. Even speaking releases tiny droplets. If droplets that contain viruses land on a surface that we then touch with our hands, we must wash our hands to eliminate the viruses before we touch our own faces or our food.”

As part of National Handwashing Awareness Week (December 5-11, 2022), Prowers Medical Center and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention answer a few key questions.

When should I wash my hands?

We should all wash our hands:

before, during and after making food
before eating
before and after caring for someone who is sick
before and after caring for a cut or sore
after using the toilet
after touching an animal or animal food or waste
after touching garbage
after blowing our nose, coughing or sneezing
after leaving a public place
after touching objects or surfaces that may have also been touched by many people
when they look dirty

How long do I need to wash?

Washing your hands for 20 seconds is the easiest way to limit the spread of viruses. Pro tip: It takes about 10 seconds to sing the Happy Birthday song, so try to sing or hum it twice. Be sure to scrub all parts of your hands, including the backs, between fingers, and under your nails. Rinse well, with your fingers pointed down so the water doesn’t splash back on your forearms. And water temperature doesn’t matter. Hot and cold water work equally well.

Can I just use hand sanitizer?

Water and plain soap (bar or liquid, but antibacterial is not recommended for home use) are better because when you rinse your hands, the water washes the germs away. Plus hand sanitizer doesn’t kill all types of germs. But if soap and water aren’t available, then yes, use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer with at least 60% alcohol.