Hands carry and spread germs. Touching your eyes, nose or mouth without cleaning your hands or sneezing or coughing into your hands may provide an opportunity for germs to get into your body. Keeping your hands clean through good hygiene practice is one of the most important steps to avoid getting sick and spreading germs.
Practising Good Hand Hygiene
Wash your hands:
- when they are visibly dirty
- after:
- sneezing, coughing, blowing your nose
- using washroom
- handling garbage
- changing diapers
- handling raw foods
- outdoor play
- before and after:
- preparing and eating food
- touching a cut or open sore
- touching eyes, nose or mouth
Hand Washing
When clean running water is available, wash your hands with plain soap and water and dry thoroughly.
Follow these steps for perfectly clean hands:
- Wet hands.
- Apply soap.
- Lather for 15 seconds. Rub between fingers, back of hands, fingertips, under nails.
- Rinse well under running water.
- Dry hands well with paper towel or hot air blower.
- Turn taps off with paper towel, if available.
Hand washing
Other languages
Download
Electronic version available by request to the public
Call 416-338-7600 or email publichealth@toronto.ca.
- Bengali / বাংলা
- Farsi / فارسی
- Greek / Ελληνικά
- Italiano / Italian
- Korean / 한국어
- Portuguese / Português
- Punjabi / ਪੰਜਾਬੀ
- Russian / Русский
- Somali / Afsoomaali
- Tiếng Việt / Vietnamese
- Tamil / தமிழ்
- Tibetan / བོད་སྐད་
- Urdu / اردو
Hand Sanitizing
Hand sanitizers are very useful when soap and water are not available. When your hands are not visibly dirty, then a 70-90% alcohol-based hand sanitizer can be used. People who are involved in food preparation should not use hand sanitizers but instead, wash their hands with soap and water.
Follow these steps will help to kill germs in your hands:
- Apply sanitizer (minimum 70% alcohol-based).
- Rub hands together.
- Work sanitizer between fingers, back of hands, fingertips, under nails.
- Rub hands until dry.
Hand sanitizing
Other languages
Download
Electronic version available by request to the public
Call 416-338-7600 or email publichealth@toronto.ca.
- Bengali / বাংলা
- Farsi / فارسی
- Filipino / Tagalog
- Greek / Ελληνικά
- Italiano / Italian
- Korean / 한국어
- Portuguese / Português
- Punjabi / ਪੰਜਾਬੀ
- Russian / Русский
- Somali / Afsoomaali
- Tiếng Việt / Vietnamese
- Tamil / தமிழ்
- Tibetan / བོད་སྐད་
- Urdu / اردو
Cover Your Cough
Germs such as influenza and cold viruses, and even whooping cough are spread by coughing or sneezing. When you cough or sneeze on your hands, your hands carry and spread these germs. Keep your distance (more than 2 metres/6 feet) from people who are coughing or sneezing.
Follow these steps to stop the spread of germs:
- Cover your mouth and nose when you cough, sneeze or blow your nose.
- Put used tissue in the garbage.
- If you don’t have a tissue, cough or sneeze into your sleeve, not in your hands.
- Clean your hands with soap and water or hand sanitizer (minimum 70% alcohol-based).
Cover your cough
Other languages
Download
Electronic version available by request to the public
Call 416-338-7600 or email publichealth@toronto.ca.
- Bengali / বাংলা
- Farsi / فارسی
- French / Français
- Greek / Ελληνικά
- Italiano / Italian
- Korean / 한국어
- Portuguese / Português
- Punjabi / ਪੰਜਾਬੀ
- Russian / Русский
- Somali / Afsoomaali
- Tiếng Việt / Vietnamese
- Tamil / தமிழ்
- Tibetan / བོད་སྐད་
- Urdu / اردو
