How to Clean & Sanitize Fingernails
Your fingernails function as a safe harbor for the germs you come into contact with, such as when wiping after a bowel movement or blowing your nose. Even if you consistently wash your hands with soap and warm water, those nasty, disease-causing microorganisms can hide out underneath your nails and contaminate the things you touch. Cleaning and sanitizing your fingernails helps eliminate germs. Yet you must carry out both procedures in a specific way to effectively get rid of the germs.Things You'll Need
- Running water (110-120 degrees F)
- Fingernail brush
- Liquid soap
- Paper towels
- Hand sanitizer
Instructions
Cleaning
Turn on warm water. The water should be approximately 110 to 120 degrees F. Wet your hands, including your fingertips and nails. Hold a fingernail brush under running water to wet it.
Pour 1/2 teaspoon or 2 to 3 milliliters of hand soap onto the wet bristles of the fingernail brush. Scrub your fingertips and underneath your fingernails with the soapy brush to create a lather for approximately 20 seconds.
Rinse your fingertips under the warm running water to wash away the germs. Rinse the fingernail brush and place it, bristles up, to dry.
Wet your hands, fingertips and fingernails under the running water. Pour 1/2 teaspoon or 2 to 3 milliliters of soap into one of your palms. Rub your palms together to create a lather. Lather your fingernails, fingertips and hands for approximately 20 seconds.
Rinse the lather away under the running water. Turn off the faucet with a clean paper towel. Dry your hands, fingernails and fingertips with another clean paper towel.
Sanitizing
Pump 1/2 teaspoon or 2 to 3 milliliters of an alcohol or benzalkonium chloride-based hand sanitizer into one of your hands.
Distribute the sanitizer on top of and underneath your nails and in the groove surrounding the nails.
Rub the sanitizer into these areas for approximately 15 to 20 seconds to sanitize your fingernails. Allow to air dry before touching anything else.