A Medical Mom's Top 10 Tips to REALLY Wash Your Hands and Fight Germs (by Lori Hensler)
All of us with medically complex children have good reason to fear the spread of the new coronavirus, COVID-19. Experts are right: Handwashing is the first line of defense against all viruses and bacteria.
However, there’s “handwashing”, and then there’s real handwashing. Little Lobbyists “medical moms” like Lori Hensler know the difference, and here are her pro tips:
Tip 1: Just passing your hands under some water does not work. Wet your hands thoroughly. Use soap. A 20 second minimum = 3 verses of “Baby Shark” or one heartfelt belt of the chorus to “Jolene.”
Tip 2: Wash the entire surface area of your hands. Pay attention to your thumbs, the back of your hands, and the very ends of your fingers. A few seconds spent smearing some soap around does no good. Consider a brush to help clean under your nails.
Tip 3: Everything you touch after you wash renders your handwashing pointless. If you’re in a public restroom, use a paper towel to turn the faucets off and open the door if it’s one that must be pulled to open.
Tip 4: For the love of all things holy, do not use the wretched hot air hand dryers. They are germ volcanoes.
Tip 5: Put nothing on the counter, door, or floor in a public restroom that you can’t dip in bleach. Put your purse around your neck. Stuff your phone in your bra or your pants pocket (preferably before you touch anything!).
Tip 6: Handwashing is not just for post-restroom use or before eating. Wash your hands as soon as you come home. Make it a habit. Then you’re not contaminating your habitat with whatever you’ve picked up while you were out. (Also, disinfect doorknobs and light switches!)
Tip 7: Essential oils don’t kill coronavirus. If you can’t wash with soap and water, use 60% or higher alcohol-based hand sanitizer. You can get nifty little bottles of it that attach to your keys or bag or purse.
Tip 8: If you’re sick, try to avoid going out in public. Even if you wash your hands, you’ll be shedding viral particles everywhere you go from your mouth and nose.
Tip 9: SANITIZE YOUR PHONE. Think about where you set it down during the day. Think about how often you touch it after touching something else. Now sanitize it because it’s a germ magnet.
So welcome to Team #WashYourHands! It’s important to do it right on a regular basis to prevent the spread of colds, flu, and the transmission of other diseases. We hope you’ll keep it up after the coronavirus crisis is over.