Washington State University

Personal Hygiene

hand sanitizer

Regular handwashing is one of the best ways to remove germs, avoid getting sick, and prevent the spread of germs to other.  Whether you are at home, at work, traveling, or out in the community handwashing with soap and water can protect you and your family.  Germs can spread from other people or surfaces when you:

  • Touch your eyes, nose, and mouth with unwashed hands
  • Prepare or eat food and drinks with unwashed hands
  • Touch a contaminated surface or object
  • Blow your nose, cough, or sneeze into hands and then touch other people’s hands or common objects

Key times to wash hands

  • After you have been in a public place and touched an item or surface that may be frequently touched by other people, such as door handles, tables, elevator buttons, electronics
  • Before touching your eyes, nose, or mouth
  • Before eating
  • Before and after caring for someone at home who is sick
  • Before , during, and after preparing food
  • After using the toilet
  • After blowing your nose, coughing, or sneezing
  • After touching an animal, animal feed, or animal waste
  • After touching garbage

Although washing hands with soap and water is the best way to get rid of germs it is not always readily available.  In those instances, hand sanitizer that contains at least 60% alcohol is a good substitute.  Sanitizers can quickly reduce the number of germs on hands.  However, sanitizers do not get rid of all types of germs, may not be as effective when hands are visibly dirty, or remove harmful chemicals.

Cougar clean

EH&S worked with the Federal Drug Administration to get approval to produce our own hand sanitizer using their recommended recipe.  EH&S is currently providing Cougar Clean, an 80% alcohol antiseptic topical solution to areas that do not have readily available water and group.

How to use hand sanitizer

Although it seems straight forward it is important to use hand sanitizer correctly.

  • Apply the hand sanitizer to the palm of one hand
  • Rub hands together
  • Rub all the surfaces of your hands and fingers until your hands are dry.  This should take about 20 seconds.

How do I get Cougar Clean

Cougar Clean is available at University Stores as a $0 item.  Item maybe ordered online and University Stores will deliver or pickup at store location on Dairy Road.

Drop off locations

EH&S has placed Collection Bins at buildings around campus for departments to put their empty hand sanitizer and disinfectants.