Hand washing is a simple yet important task. Yet a lot of us do not do it often enough and when we do, most of us do not do it properly. When done correctly, hand washing is one of the best ways to avoid getting sick. All that is required for this simple task is soap and water or an alcohol-based sanitizer - a cleanser which does not need water.

During the day you gather germs on your hands. These come from a variety of sources, such as direct contact with people, contaminated surfaces, foods, animals and animals waste. You can then infect yourself with these germs when you touch your eyes, nose or mouth if you do not wash your hands regularly enough. You can also spread these germs to other people by touching them or surfaces which they touch, such as doorknobs.

The common cold, flu and several gastrointestinal disorders, such as infectious diarrhoea are infectious diseases which are commonly spread through hand-to-hand contact. The flu can be a particularly serious disease, especially for older adults and those with chronic medical problems because they can then develop pneumonia. A combination of flu and pneumonia is the eighth-leading cause of death among Americans.

Insufficient hand washing is also a contribution to food-related illnesses, such as salmonella and E. coli infection. As many as 76 million Americans get a food-borne illness every year, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). About 5,000 of these die as a result of their illness.

It is very important that your children get into the habit of washing their hands to. This will help them avoid becoming sick. You can do this by teaching by example. Wash your hands when with your children and supervise their hand washing. Place hand-washing reminders at children’s eye level. This could be a chart which they mark each time they was their hands. If the sink is to high for children to use, place a stool underneath it so that they can reach. Tell your children to was their hands for as long as it takes to sing their ABCs, “Row, Row, Row your Boat” or the “Happy Birthday” song. This idea works especially well for younger children because they are more likely to rush when washing their hands.

Younger children can use alcohol-based hand sanitizers with your help. Just ensure that their hands have completely dried before they touch anything. This is to prevent ingestion of alcohol due to hand-to-mouth contact. Make sure you store the container safely away after use.

Hand washing is particularly important for children who go to child care. Those under 3 are at a greater risk of respiratory and gastrointestinal diseases, which can be spread easily to family members and other people in the community.

Ensure that your child care provider promotes hand hygiene. This includes frequent hand washing or use of alcohol-based hand sanitizers. Ask if the children are required to wash their hands several times a day and no just before meals. Make a note whether the diapering areas and cleaned after each use and if the eating and diapering areas are well separated.