Hand washing video

Think you know how to wash your hands? Think again! According to experts there's a specific way to do it to get rid of bacteria - so we've made a quick video to show you how

We all know how to wash our hands, don't we? It might seem like a pretty obvious task - but actually, most of us are probably not doing it as well as we should!

According to the NHS, washing hands should take 15-30 seconds - that's the length of time it takes to sing Happy Birthday twice. Making sure you wash them properly can help to prevent you from getting colds and flu (including swine flu) so it's important to get it right.

We've made a quick video to show you the right way to wash your hands. We've used guidelines from the NHS to make sure we've included all the important bits!

The key hand washing points

Just in case you need a reminder, here's the key stages:

• Wet your hands with water
• Apply enough soap all over your hands and wrists
• Rub your hands palm to palm, then rub the back of each hand - and interlace the fingers each time to get in-between them
• Interlock your fingers and rub the back of your fingers
• Rub each thumb
• Rub the tips of your fingers into your palms in circular motions
• Rub each wrist with the opposite hand
• Rinse your hands with water
• Use your elbow to turn off the taps if you can
• Dry your hands thoroughly with a single-use towel

Where to next?

- Stop viruses and infections spreading
- Tips to avoid coughs and colds
- 10 small things that could save your life

By Katie McPhillimy