What are the common precautions to prevent infection in most humans?

Answer 1

Proper hand washing frequency and technique is the single most effective way of preventing infection. Many people don't realize exactly what proper hand washing technique is, so they often end up not doing much good when they do wash their hands. To effectively wash your hands, you have to work up a good, sudsy lather, then scrub the hands together for about 25 - 30 seconds.

The friction motion is what loosens the dirt and germs, while the suds "floats" it away when rinsed off. It's not a matter of the soap coming into contact with the dirt and germs that cleans your hands, but the actual friction from rubbing the hands together after working up a good lather.

Another mistake that is commonly made is not washing hands frequently enough. In addition to being washed before eating, hands should also be washed after using the bathroom, touching public door handles, after shopping (many hands have touched that merchandise), and after using a shopping cart.

Research has proven that shopping carts are one of the most germ infested things people touch on a regualr basis. Hands should also be washed upon returning home from any place you've been, as well as washing them frequently during household cleaning.

Most people don't realize just how many germs can be on a vacuum, a broom handle, etc., and you should also wash your hands after sorting/handling dirty laundry.

In addition to washing your hands, women should also clean their purse with an antibacterial wipe if they used a public rest room and hung their purse on the hook inside the stall, or if they placed it on the counter while washing their hands. These surfaces harbor all sorts of germs, and are transferred to your purse when they come into contact with it.

You should also clean door knobs, light switches and faucet handles on a regular basis, as well. And you need to keep antibacterial wipes in your car to clean your hands and the steering wheel if you have to eat on the go. When you pull up to that drive-in window and pay for that meal on the go, the money you handle is loaded with germs, as are many vehicle steering wheels.