Gross Facts About Not Washing Your Hands
"Have you washed your hands?" You may get tired of asking--or hearing--that question, but it is vitally important to ask yourself if you're protecting your health by washing your hands every time you sneeze, cough or use the restroom. You also need to teach your children just how important it is to wash hands properly and frequently. Using warm water, soap, vigorous friction and singing the "Happy Birthday" song twice through is enough to kill germs.
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Germs
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Germs stick to your hands like gum sticks to the bottoms of your shoes. While this may not be exactly precise, this is a close enough comparison to let you know that germy, unwashed hands are unnecessary. If you're around someone who has a stomach bug and you touch something he has touched with his mouth, or if you touch his hands and he hasn't washed after having a "sudden bathroom incident," you've just gotten his germs. If you don't want to get sick, wash your hands right away with warm water and soap.
Bathroom Use
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If you're sick with an intestinal bug and you have a very young child, you could make him seriously ill by not washing your hands after you use the bathroom. If you're taking care of someone who is sick with a stomach bug, and you don't wash your hands after taking care of her, you are spreading her germs, not only to yourself, but to others as well. Even if you're not dealing with a stomach bug, having just wiped after using the bathroom contaminates your hands. Wash after using the bathroom.
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Money Is Dirty
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Money picks up germs because strangers who don't wash their hands handle money, both bills and coins. If you handle money routinely in your job and you lick your fingers to count money--you've just incorporated someone else's germs into your body. Don't lick your fingers to count bills and wash your hands as often as you can while at work.
Staph Infection
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MRSA (methycillin-resistant staphylococcus aureus) is a nasty flesh-eating bacteria known for lurking on sweaty sports equipment and in locker rooms. If your child is on a team at school, wash his equipment every week. Remind him to wash his hands frequently during the day, because he's more at risk of developing MRSA than the general population. If your child doesn't wash his hands after practice, he might have the MRSA bacteria sitting on his skin. If he has even a tiny cut, he is now vulnerable to the ravages of a horrible bacteria. If he gets a cut, make sure he washes it with warm water and antibacterial soap, then coats the cut with an antiseptic cream and covers it with a bandage.
Not Just Colds, But Flu
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If you're around someone who has a cold or the flu and that person just touched something and then you touched that same object, you've picked up her germs. Whether at home, school or work, you have to wash your hands often during cold and flu season. Handling the phone, a doorknob, computer keyboard, bathroom faucet or toilet flush handle ensures you'll pick flu germs up. Wash your hands as often as you can and keep them away from your face. If you're unfortunate enough to be around someone who comes to work sick, wash your hands even if she doesn't.
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