Caring at Home
Hand Hygiene for Family Carers: When and How to Wash
Handwashing is the single most effective thing a carer can do to prevent infection. When to wash, when sanitiser is enough, and the spots people miss.
OMS Clinical Team
Product Specialists
Wash your hands with soap and water for at least 20 seconds before and after every care task, and whenever they are visibly dirty. Hand sanitiser is a good stand-in when hands look clean and there is no sink nearby, but it does not replace washing.
It sounds almost too simple to matter. It is still, by a distance, the most effective thing any carer does to prevent infection, and it protects you as much as the person you look after.
When to wash
- Before and after every care task
- Before putting gloves on and after taking them off
- Before preparing or handling food
- Before helping with medicines
- After using the toilet, and after helping someone else to
- After handling laundry, waste or cleaning
- Whenever your hands look or feel dirty
The spots people miss
Most people wash their palms well and little else. The areas that get missed are consistent, and they are the ones worth being deliberate about.
- Backs of the hands
