We wash our hands all the time. After a long bout of illness last fall (we all had a form of pneumonia/bronchitis that lasted about 2 months as it ran through our family), I decided that we did not wash our hands enough. We were letting too many germs in our house.
So, now we wash our hands:
when we come into the house from outside;
when we use the bathroom;
before and after we eat (always at home and ESPECIALLY when at restaurants);
and, any time we think we may have; but, can't really remember.
We also make a conscious effort to:
cough into our elbows (preventing germs from spreading to/from our hands);
avoid touching our eyes, nose and mouth with our hands (we use our shirt if necessary);
and, we use sanitizer if there is no place to wash our hands.
We also lather our hands "long enough to get the germs off" (20 seconds by medical standards) and then rinse.
Of course, at first (and sometimes still), it was a "pain"; but, once my husband bought into it and saw the benefit of this simple action, it keeps getting easier!
I am grateful that since we started our new (even more frequent!) handwashing regimen, that we have not been sick very often (I can't remember the last time)! I know we will still get sick; but, we are trying harder not to and that feels good! Just wash your hands!
