Hand Hygiene
Wash Your Hands!
Hand hygiene is a term used to cover both hand washing using soap and water, and cleaning hands with waterless or alcohol-based hand sanitizers.
- Why Hand Hygiene is Important and When to Wash Your Hands
Washing your hands is the best way to stop germs from spreading. Learn more about why you should wash your hands, diseases you don't want, antibiotic resistance, how germs are spread, where germs hide, and when to wash your hands.
Diseases | Antibiotic Resistance | 5 Common Ways Germs are Spread | Germs are Tough | When Should I Wash Poster
- Washing Hands with Soap and Water
Posters, fact sheets, and more about washing your hands with soap and water.
How It Works - Soap and Water | Be A Germ-Buster Poster | With a Nailbrush Poster | Fact Sheet: Make Hand Washing a Healthy Habit | Wash Your Hands (in 24 languages) | Wash Your Hands Posters | Health in Your Hands Posters
- How to Wash Your Hands Video
How to Wash Your Hands Video Transcript (PDF)
How to Wash Your Hands: Audio Described (YouTube) - Cleaning Hands with Hand Sanitizer
Posters, fact sheets, and more about cleaning your hands with waterless or alcohol-based hand sanitizers.
How It Works - Hand Sanitizer | The New Way to Get Clean Poster
- Cleaning Hands with Hand Sanitizer Video
- Choosing and Using Your Soap
A guide to choosing between regular soap and water, alcohol-based hand sanitizers, and antibacterial soap. Includes posters that show both washing with soap and water and alcohol-based hand sanitizer.
Which Soap is Best? | Hand Hygiene How-To Poster | Clean Your Hands! Poster | It is as easy as 1, 2, 3 Poster
- Teaching Hand Hygiene
Materials, curricula, and ideas for teaching hand washing to people of all ages.
Project Ideas | Children’s Books | Build A Tool Kit
- Hand Hygiene for Schools and Child Care
Hand hygiene information, research, and guidelines for schools and child care.
Young Children | Infectious Diseases Manual | School Health
- Hand Hygiene for Food Handlers
Hand hygiene information, research, and guidelines for food handlers.
- Hand Hygiene for Health Professionals
Hand hygiene information, research, and guidelines for health care workers.
- Posters and Print Materials
“Hand Washing is the single most important means of preventing the spread of infection”
Spotlight
Hand Hygiene Print Materials
Signs, posters, brochures, manuals, curricula, and other hand hygiene materials that you can print and use.
Don't Forget to Wash Poster
This simple poster (available in two color options) shows six simple steps to washing hands.
Note:If soap and water are not available, use hand sanitizer. Wash your hands with soap and water when your hands are visibly soiled.
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] See Hand Hygiene for Food Handlers for more information.
Contact us:
If you have questions or comments about this page, use our IDEPC Comment Form or call 651-201-5414 for the MDH Infectious Disease Epidemiology, Prevention and Control Division.