How to Keep Your Family’s Hand’s Clean in COVID–19

According to mothers around the world and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, regular handwashing plays a key role in keeping you healthy. Utilizing proper hand hygiene is an effective way to protect yourself from a variety of sicknesses, including the common cold, the flu, and COVID-19. While the best way to keep your family safe during the coronavirus pandemic is to practice social distancing, regular handwashing is essential to staying healthy in quarantine as well. Your Auburn family dentist shares a few simple yet effective hand hygiene tips to keep you and your loved ones safe in the COVID-19 pandemic.

5 Steps to Proper Handwashing

Half-hearted hand hygiene won’t keep the coronavirus at bay! Staying inside during quarantine is an excellent time to go over thorough handwashing techniques with your family. Set a timer or play a catchy song for two minutes and follow these five steps:

• Wet your hands with clean, running water.
• Lather your hands with soap and wash for 20 seconds.
• Clean your fingertips as well as underneath your fingernails and jewelry.
• Rinse the soap off gently with clean, running water.
• Dry your hands completely, ideally with a disposable (paper) towel.

When to Wash Your Hands in COVID-19

To keep yourself germ-free, health experts recommend washing your hands:

• Before eating.
• Before leaving the bathroom.
• After handling raw food, garbage, or animals.

However, during the COVID-19 pandemic, you should also wash your hands:

• After returning from a public place like a grocery store or gas station.
• Directly after blowing your nose, sneezing, or coughing.
• Before touching your nose, eye, or mouth.

Tips for Using Hand Sanitizer in COVID-19

Washing with soap and water is the best way to clean off any infected particles from your hands. However, if you are somewhere you cannot wash your hands, a sanitizer with at least 60% alcohol can be used as an effective substitute. To use it effectively, carefully follow the directions printed on the back of the sanitizer bottle. Typically, this includes placing a small amount in the center of one palm, then rubbing it all over both hands for at least 20 seconds. Remember, while hand sanitizer is a useful alternative, it shouldn’t be chosen over handwashing with soap and water.

Even while you and your family are home, great hand hygiene is essential to staying healthy during the COVID-19 pandemic. Use these tips to help your loved ones keep their hands germ-free during quarantine as well as long afterwards!

About the Practice

At New England Kids Pediatric Dentistry in Auburn, MA, nothing is more important than the wellbeing of our patients and staff. We have been closely monitoring the COVID-19 pandemic and the recommendations of the Massachusetts Dental Society, and we have made the difficult decision to temporarily close our office. However, we are maintaining the same ambitious infection control protocols we always have to ensure we can continue to treat dental emergencies safely. Until we reopen, we encourage our patients to wash their hands regularly, practice great oral hygiene, and stay safe. If you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to reach us via our website or (508) 832-6278.