Medical
Masks
Many people wash their hands incorrectly or insufficiently. The Swiss Federal Office of Public Health recommends washing hands for at least 30 seconds. Disinfectants such as gels with an ethanol content of < 85% even require a full minute. However, it is not the quality of the soap or the disinfectant that matters, but it is essential to wash every part of the hand. For example, there is a special way to clean your fingernails when washing your hands and also when disinfecting your hands, so that the hand disinfectant or soap reaches and cleans every part of your hand.
In this simple illustrated guide you will find the complete procedure to catch 99.9% of all bad guys on your hands with soap or disinfectant.
Afterwards, there is an overview of the cases in which you should definitely visit a sink and carry out a thorough hand cleaning so that you can get through the day safely and virus-free.
Washing your hands properly requires routine, only 30 seconds, and it helps against the many pathogens that can settle on our hands. But hands must be washed properly to ensure that every area is thoroughly cleaned.
With this simple 8 step guide, you will learn the proper routine to wash your hands medically correct. Because even the best disinfectant cannot replace thorough hand cleaning.
The aim of the sequence of movements for hygienic hand disinfection according to DIN EN 1500 is the rapid and sufficient reduction of pathogens that do not belong to your own skin flora, so that there is no risk of spreading potentially pathogenic germs.
Or colloquially - washing your hands properly protects yourself and others!
All you have to do is carry out these 8 steps with both hands. The photos show the cleaning of the left hand and each of the movements should be repeated five times with both hands.
| Instructions | Wash hands properly - step for step |
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| 1. First, generously apply soap to moistened hands and spread the soap on both palms in a circular motion. |
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| 2. Then it's the wrists' turn: with plenty of lather, spread the soap by grasping one hand around the wrist of the other hand and turning it back and forth as if screwing. Again, 5 repetitions are necessary. |
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| 3. Then place the right hand on the left hand and make sure that the thumb of the right hand is at the root of the little finger of the left hand and each finger is in a finger gap of the left hand and press your fingers firmly against each other and go with the right hand to the end of the fingertips of the left hand, then start again at the finger roots as shown in the picture and repeat this five times. |
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| 4. Now turn your left hand and repeat the same movement from the finger roots to the fingertips also five times. |
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| 5. Now it's the thumb's turn: grasp with your right hand your thumb of your left hand as shown in the picture and move with pressure along the thumb until you have reached its tip - then repeat this movement five times. |
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| 6. Fingernails are often forgotten: to clean them correctly, press your fingertips against the tip of your thumb and let them rotate five times in your other palm with pressure. |
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| 7. Now the outer sides of the fingers are still missing: to do this, embrace the fingers of your left hand with your right hand and move your right hand with a little pressure five times in a semicircle. |
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| 8. Done, now rinse your hands thoroughly with water and dry them in a clean towel. Towels should only be used once in everyday hospital life, so in case of doubt, leave the towel on the left in a public toilet and dry your hands by shaking them. If disposable towels are available, you can use them to open the door and keep your foot open while you try to throw the disposable towel into the wastebasket. If you miss and someone complains, show them this article. And if they still don't believe you, they will hopefully believe the recommendations of the Robert Koch Institute in the Bundesgesundheitsblatt 2016 about „Händehygiene in Einrichtungen des Gesundheitswesens“. |
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When you are out, you should never touch your eyes, nasal cavities or mouth, as the conjunctiva and the mucous membrane in the nose, on and in the eyes or in the mouth can be entry points for pathogens. Even without infectious pathogens, the conjunctiva can be damaged, for example by irritating chemical substances such as lubricating oil or chillies, but also by excessive mechanical pressure, for example by frequent eye rubbing. It is best not to touch the face at all when you are on the move! The sensitive genital areas are also affected and can be entry points for pathogens.
