Hands are the number-one way germs travel to food. Washing them properly — and at the right moments — is the most powerful single thing you can do to keep food safe. A quick rinse is not enough.
How to wash your hands properly
Use the dedicated handwash basin with warm running water and soap — not the sink used for food or dishes. The whole process should take around 20 seconds of scrubbing.
- Wet hands with warm running water
- Apply enough soap to build a good lather
- Scrub for at least 20 seconds — palms, backs, between fingers, thumbs and under the nails
- Rinse thoroughly under running water
- Dry completely with a clean single-use paper towel (damp hands spread germs)
- Use the paper towel to turn off the tap if it is not hands-free
When you must wash your hands
Timing matters as much as technique. Wash your hands whenever they may have picked up germs, and always at these moments:
- Before starting work and before handling food
- After using the toilet
- After handling raw meat, poultry, seafood or eggs
- Between handling raw food and ready-to-eat food
- After coughing, sneezing, blowing your nose or touching your face or hair
- After handling rubbish, cleaning, or touching money or a phone
- After eating or taking a break
Sanitiser is not a replacement
Alcohol-based hand sanitiser can be a useful extra step, but it does not remove dirt, grease or all germs (for example, norovirus). It is not a substitute for washing with soap and water in a food business.
Practical examples
- After breaking eggs for a cake, a cook washes hands before touching the serving plates.
- A handler washes for a full 20 seconds, then dries with paper towel and uses it to turn off the tap.
- Hand sanitiser is used after handwashing, not instead of it.
Key points to remember
- Scrub with soap and warm water for at least 20 seconds.
- Always wash after the toilet, raw food, rubbish and touching your face.
- Dry with single-use paper towel — damp hands spread germs.
- Hand sanitiser does not replace proper handwashing.