With flu season under way, the first week of December is an ideal time to draw attention to hygiene, so it has been identified as National Handwashing Awareness Week.

Personal hygiene begins and ends with the hands.  Children are taught to wash their hands before every meal and whenever they use the bathroom. It’s important to remember that washing hands every day can help kill germs and keep them from spreading

“It’s very important to wash them well to stop the spread of diseases and illness,” said Mr. Joey Sova, who teaches Sports Medicine and has spent time in his paramedic training learning the details of personal hygiene. “No matter how well you wash your hands, they are never as clean as you think,” he said.

According to NationalToday.com, there are three steps to making this week have an impact:

1. Do it right

Experts recommend washing your hands with soap and clean water for at least 20 seconds. Be sure to get a good lather going and clean the back of the hands, between the fingers and under the nails. Dry them using a clean towel. There is a lot of science behind these recommendations, so be sure to follow them each time you wash your hands.

2. Memorize the five steps

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention calls hand washing “a do-it-yourself vaccine” and suggests remembering five easy steps: Wet, lather, scrub, rinse, dry.

3. Learn the Four Principles of Hand Awareness

Endorsed by the American Medical Association and American Academy of Family Physicians, the four principles are: 1) Wash your hands when they are dirty and before eating; 2) Do not cough into hands; 3) Do not sneeze into hands; and 4) Don’t put your fingers in your eyes, nose or mouth.