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  2. Individual and Family Health
  3. Hand Hygiene
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Hand Hygiene

  • Hand Hygiene Home
  • Soap and Water
  • Hand Sanitizer
  • Why and When
  • Choosing and Using Soap
  • Teaching Hand Hygiene
  • For Schools and Child Care
  • For Food Handlers
  • For Health Care Professionals
  • Posters and Print Materials

Related Topics

  • Food Safety
  • Cover Your Cough
  • Infection Control

Hand Hygiene

  • Hand Hygiene Home
  • Soap and Water
  • Hand Sanitizer
  • Why and When
  • Choosing and Using Soap
  • Teaching Hand Hygiene
  • For Schools and Child Care
  • For Food Handlers
  • For Health Care Professionals
  • Posters and Print Materials

Related Topics

  • Food Safety
  • Cover Your Cough
  • Infection Control
Contact Info
Infectious Disease Epidemiology, Prevention and Control Division
651-201-5414
IDEPC Comment Form

Contact Info

Infectious Disease Epidemiology, Prevention and Control Division
651-201-5414
IDEPC Comment Form

Hand Hygiene

Hand hygiene is a term used to cover both hand washing using soap and water, and cleaning hands with waterless or alcohol-based hand sanitizers.

Wash your hands

image of the Dont Forget to Wash poster

Washing Hands with Soap and Water

Components to washing with soap and water, the proper technique, and how washing with soap and water works. Plus- posters, fact sheets, and more about washing your hands with soap and water.

  • How It Works - Soap and Water
  • Don't Forget to Wash
  • Be A Germ-Buster Poster
  • With a Nailbrush Poster
  • Fact Sheet: Make Hand Washing a Healthy Habit
  • Wash Your Hands (in 24 languages)
  • Wash Your Hands Posters
  • Health in Your Hands Posters

Videos:

Other languages: How to Wash Your Hands
  • How to Wash Your Hands Video Transcript (PDF)
  • How to Wash Your Hands: Audio Described (YouTube)
  • How to Wash Your Hands: ASL (YouTube)
  • How to Wash Your Hands: Amharic (YouTube)
    • How to Wash Your Hands Video Transcript: Amharic (PDF)
  • How to Wash Your Hands: Arabic (YouTube)
    • How to Wash Your Hands Video Transcript: Arabic (PDF)
  • How to Wash Your Hands: Chinese (YouTube)
    • How to Wash Your Hands Video Transcript: Chinese (PDF)
  • How to Wash Your Hands: Hmong (YouTube)
    • How to Wash Your Hands Video Transcript: Hmong (PDF)
  • How to Wash Your Hands: Karen (YouTube)
    • How to Wash Your Hands Video Transcript: Karen (PDF)
  • How to Wash Your Hands: Russian (YouTube)
    • How to Wash Your Hands Video Transcript: Russian (PDF)
  • How to Wash Your Hands: Somali (YouTube)
    • How to Wash Your Hands Video Transcript: Somali (PDF)
  • How to Wash Your Hands: Spanish (YouTube)
    • How to Wash Your Hands Video Transcript: Spanish (PDF)
  • How to Wash Your Hands: Vietnamese (YouTube)
    • How to Wash Your Hands Video Transcript: Vietnamese (PDF)

image of the alcohol hand rubs poster

Cleaning Hands with Hand Sanitizer

Components to washing with alcohol-based hand sanitizer, the proper technique, and how hand sanitizer works. Plus- posters, fact sheets, and more about cleaning your hands with waterless or alcohol-based hand sanitizers.

  • How It Works - Hand Sanitizer
  • Alcohol-Based Handrubs: Easy as 1, 2, 3

Videos:

Other languages: Cleaning Hands with Hand Sanitizer
  • Cleaning Hands with Hand Sanitizer: ASL (YouTube)
  • Cleaning Hands with Hand Sanitizer: Amharic (YouTube)
    • Cleaning Hands with Hand Sanitizer Transcript: Amharic (PDF)
  • Cleaning Hands with Hand Sanitizer: Arabic (YouTube)
    • Cleaning Hands with Hand Sanitizer Transcript: Arabic (PDF)
  • Cleaning Hands with Hand Sanitizer: Chinese (YouTube)
    • Cleaning Hands with Hand Sanitizer Transcript: Chinese (PDF)
  • Cleaning Hands with Hand Sanitizer: Hmong (YouTube)
    • Cleaning Hands with Hand Sanitizer Transcript: Hmong (PDF)
  • Cleaning Hands with Hand Sanitizer: Karen (YouTube)
    • Cleaning Hands with Hand Sanitizer Transcript: Karen (PDF)
  • Cleaning Hands with Hand Sanitizer: Russian (YouTube)
    • Cleaning Hands with Hand Sanitizer Transcript: Russian (PDF)
  • Cleaning Hands with Hand Sanitizer: Somali (YouTube)
    • Cleaning Hands with Hand Sanitizer Transcript Somali (PDF)
  • Cleaning Hands with Hand Sanitizer: Spanish (YouTube)
    • Cleaning Hands with Hand Sanitizer Transcript Spanish (PDF)
  • Cleaning Hands with Hand Sanitizer: Vietnamese (YouTube)
    • Cleaning Hands with Hand Sanitizer Transcript: Vietnamese (PDF)

stop the spread of germs, wash your hands

Why & When to Wash Your Hands

Washing your hands is the best way to stop germs from spreading. Learn more about why you should wash your hands, diseases you don't want, antibiotic resistance, how germs are spread, where germs hide, and when to wash your hands.

  • Diseases
  • Antibiotic Resistance
  • 5 Common Ways Germs are Spread
  • Germs are Tough
  • When Should I Wash Poster

Choosing and Using Your Soap

More about choosing how to get clean hands, washing with soap and water, and alcohol-based hand sanitizer.

  • Which Soap is Best?
  • Hand Hygiene How-To Poster
  • Clean Your Hands! Poster

Teaching Hand Hygiene

Fun ideas, materials, curricula, and more to help you teach hand washing to people of all ages.

  • Hand Washing Curriculum
  • Build A Tool Kit
  • Project Ideas
  • Children’s Books

Spotlight

  • Posters and Print Materials

More about hand hygiene

  • Hand Hygiene for Schools and Child Care
    Hand hygiene information, research, and guidelines for schools and child care.
    Young Children | Infectious Diseases Manual | School Health
  • Hand Hygiene for Food Handlers
    Hand hygiene information, research, and guidelines for food handlers.
  • Hand Hygiene for Health Professionals
    Hand hygiene information, research, and guidelines for health care workers.
Tags
  • hand hygiene
Last Updated: 03/21/2025
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