How to keep colds from spreading? - Tip 1 - Wash your Hands

​“Have you washed your hands with soap?”

As a parent I am sure it is question you are used to asking every time your child begins to eat.
That is because you know that germs that cause stomach problems usually make their way into your gut through dirt transferred to food that is being eaten - through dirty unwashed hands. And these germs then cause stomach aches, loose motions and vomiting.
 
But it is important to know - that when there is a sniffling nose or a cough in the family
“Wash your hands”
is something you need to holler much more often.
 
The viruses that cause the common cold are present in the discharge from the nose of the sick person. And when a nose has a cold - it runs and runs - it just runs everywhere.
 
And when a nose is running - hands with handkerchiefs and tissues (and sometimes without) are desperate as they try to prevent snot overflow disasters.
 
And as they go about this disaster management - hands end up getting virus laden.
 
When these virus laden hands touch eyes and noses of the hand owner they infect that person.
 
And when they touch other things like tables, plates, pencils etc. they leave the virus there - so it gets onto the hands of the next person touching that surface - making him / her an easy target for the virus.
 
Hands therefore need to be cleaned frequently and adequately so that they do not spread the virus.
 
Getting motivated to wash hands however - is really not that easy. Especially- when a cold has you down.
 
A hand sanitizer that can be readily accessed by everyone in the house - can be a life saver at such times. Encourage everyone in the house to use it frequently
 
Of course employ the soap water routine as often as you can.
 
There is no way you can keep viruses out of your house - but when everybody has clean hands - you can drive out this unwelcome visitor much faster.
 
Happy hand washing!