Your mom, dad, teacher, and several other adults probably tell you to wash your hands multiple times a day, and you are probably wondering if it is really all that important. Well, guess what? It is! In fact, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) says that keeping your hands clean is one of the most important steps you can take to avoid getting sick and spreading germs--and no one enjoys being sick.

People spread germs on their hands by:

• Frequently touching their eyes, noses, and mouths
• Through the preparation and handling of food and drink
• Touching handrails, table tops, toys, wheelchair tires, and other surfaces

To make sure you are washing your hands long enough to get them properly clean, you should sing the Happy Birthday song two times through.  Let’s practice. Sing along:

“Happy Birthday to you, happy birthday to you, happy birthday dear friend, happy birthday to you. Happy birthday to you, happy birthday to you, happy birthday dear friend, happy birthday to you."

Do you know the proper order to follow when washing your hands?

If you are a wheelchair user, your hands might get even dirtier than your friends who do not use a wheelchair. Keeping your hands clean may be tough, but here are three steps to help you keep your hands clean:

1. Select a different type of handrim.  Most handrims are made out of aluminum, which is a very dirty material. However, there are different levels of thickness and types that you can get to help optimize your pushing speed and how often your hands come into contact with your tires.
2. Wear gloves. If you really want to avoid getting your hands dirty you can wear pushing gloves. Just remember to take them off whenever you touch your face or eat.
3. Wipe down your wheelchair rims and tires.  Use some type of disposable cleaning cloth or even just an old rag with soap and water to clean off your rims and tires on a daily basis.  Check out our wheelchair maintenance guide for more tips!

Wash Your Hands video