Every year, flu season brings a wave of sniffles, fevers, and sick days. While vaccines and healthy habits play a major role in prevention, one of the simplest and most effective ways to protect your staff, customers and visitors is also one of the most overlooked: proper hand hygiene.
Why Hand Hygiene Matters
The boss of the NHS is warning the UK is facing a long, drawn-out flu season this year. It comes as flu rates have started climbing early, causing concern because the winter vaccination campaign has only just got under way and there are lots of vulnerable people yet to get protected.
The NHS continues to highlight how washing hands with soap for at least 20 seconds is one of the best ways to protect yourself and others. Flu viruses spread easily—often more easily than we realise. When an infected person coughs, sneezes, or even talks, tiny droplets carrying the virus can land on surfaces like doorknobs, phones, or countertops. If people touch one of these surfaces and then touch their eyes, nose, or mouth, they give the virus a direct route into their body.
Regular handwashing using soap breaks this chain of transmission, drastically reducing the risk of getting sick and preventing the flu from spreading to others.
The Science Behind Handwashing
Handwashing works because soap molecules lift dirt, oils, and germs from the skin. When you rinse your hands, these unwanted passengers go down the drain. If you don’t have soap and water handy, using an alcohol-based hand sanitiser (with at least 60% alcohol) can quickly reduce the number of germs on your hands.
When Should You Wash Your Hands?
To protect against the flu—and many other illnesses—wash your hands regularly, especially:
- After coughing, sneezing, or blowing your nose
- Before eating or preparing food
- After using the washroom
- After being in public places or touching shared surfaces
- After caring for someone who is sick
How to Wash Your Hands Effectively
A quick rinse isn’t enough. For handwashing to be effective, follow these steps:
- Wet your hands with clean, running water.
- Apply soap and lather thoroughly, including the backs of your hands and between your fingers.
- Scrub for at least 20 seconds—about the time it takes to hum “Happy Birthday” twice.
- Rinse well under running water.
- Dry with a clean towel or a hand dryer.
Hand sanitiser is a good backup, but it doesn’t remove all types of germs or visible dirt, so washing with soap and water should be your first choice when possible.
Make sure you dry your hands
Hands spread more germs when they are damp than when they are dry! And because the transmission of bacteria is more likely to occur from wet skin than from dry skin, drying of hands is an essential component to good hand hygiene to avoid sickness and infection either with paper hand towels or hand dryers.
Air Sterilisers, reducing the transmission of the flu virus
As well as proper hand hygiene, adding air sterilisers such as AIRsteril in your washrooms also helps reduce the transmission of the flu virus in indoor environments as well as eliminating smells. They work by using technologies such as germicidal UV light, ozone, and plasma to kill or inactivate airborne and surface pathogens, including influenza strains. Its efficacy was certified to do this by the UK Health Protection Agency laboratories.
Hand Hygiene Protects Everyone
Good hand hygiene isn’t just about keeping yourself healthy—it also protects your coworkers, classmates, and your community. The flu can be dangerous for vulnerable groups, including young children, older adults, pregnant people, and anyone with a weakened immune system. Clean hands reduce the chance of transmitting the virus to those at higher risk.
Simple Habit, Big Impact
The beauty of hand hygiene is that it’s simple, quick, and inexpensive. By ensuring people can easily wash their hands this flu season by stocking hand washing supplies like soap and working soap dispensers in your business as well as hand dryers and air sterilisers, you will contribute to healthier workplaces and communities—and make flu season a lot easier to navigate.
Whatever your hand hygiene needs are for your business, at TWC Facilities we will have a solution. Find out more by calling our friendly team on 0330 441 0985 or email customercare@twc-facilities.com
