Wash Your Hands to Stay Healthy at Work

hand washing Being an office rat isn't always about elegant dance moves and indulgent self-massages. We even need to consider mundane issues like hygiene.

The modern office is a pathologist's dream. No matter which way you turn, there lurks a germ-covered keyboard, phone, or door knob. Every time you shake hands or rub your eyes, you're moving viruses and bacteria around.

Regular hand-washing can help keep you healthy at work, especially during the fall and winter cold and flu season.

Good Hand-Washing Technique

Your mother no doubt taught you to wash your hands, but just in case she didn't have access to state-of-the-art instructions, here's what experts now say to do:

Completely wet your hands. Warm water is better, but cold will do.
Apply soap and work it into a lather. There's no need to use antibacterial soap (and some argue that the use of these soaps leads to treatment-resistant strains of bacteria).
Scrub the front and back of your fingers and hand from wrist to fingertips for 15 seconds (you can sing one or two verses of "Happy Birthday" to measure the time if you don't feel like counting "one thousand one, one thousand two. . .").
Rinse completely and leave the water running while you dry your hands. Yes, this wastes a little water, but it's worth it so that you don't touch the germ-covered faucet with your nice clean hands.
Blot your hands with a dry paper towels and then rub your hands dry.
Use a dry paper towel to turn off the faucet and then to open the door as you leave the room.

If you can't wash with soap and water, alcohol-based hand sanitizer gels or antiseptic wipes are a good substitute until you get back to a sink.

Wash your hands frequently throughout the day, especially after using the restroom, handling packages and letters, and using your computer.