Choosing and Using Your Soap
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
Contact Info
Infectious Disease Epidemiology, Prevention and Control Division
651-201-5414
Clean Your Hands! Poster
This 11x17 poster shows the steps for washing hands with soap and water or cleaning with alcohol-based hand sanitizers.
- Download a print version of this document:
Clean Your Hands! Poster (PDF)
How to wash your hands with soap and water:
- Use soap and warm, running water.
- Keep fingers pointing down.
- Rub hands vigorously for 20 seconds. Wash all surfaces:
- Backs of hands
- Wrists
- Between fingers
- Tips of fingers
- Thumbs
- Under fingernails
- Dry vigorously with paper or clean cloth towel.
- Turn off faucet with towel and open door with towel.
How it works:
- The soap suspends the dirt and soils.
- The friction motion helps pull dirt and greasy or oily soils free from the skin.
- Warm running water washes away suspended dirt and soils that trap germs.
- Final friction of wiping hands removes more germs.
How to clean your hands with a alcohol-based handrub:
- Apply a dime sized amount of handrub gel to the palm of one hand or use a alcohol- based handrub wipe.
- Rub hands together covering all surfaces of hands and fingers until handrub is absorbed.
How they work:
- Act quickly to kill microorganisms
- Reduce bacterial counts on hands
Wash your hands with soap and water when your hands are visibly soiled. If soap and water is not available, use alcohol-based handrub (wipes or gel).
Food handlers in restaurants, schools, delis and grocery stores must wash their hands with soap and water before applying hand sanitizers.
[Minn Rules Chap. 4626.0070 - 4626.0085]
Last Updated: 10/20/2022