Blog — global handwashing day

Handwashing has always been important...especially in education.  I remember watching my (now 14 years old) daughter start her first day of preschool as I peeked around the corner and the first thing she did was wash her hands.  Today, handwashing feels like an essential safety practice for protection from COVID-19, which is a health threat well beyond my preschool fears of the common cold.  It seems simple enough to wash your hands, but many of us - including me - do not wash for the recommended amount of time (Centers for Disease Control and World Health Organization).  Or, time spent washing hands is inconsistent.  I confess that I have whipped through singing Happy Birthday in order to finish washing as quickly as possible.  Others may have a hard time managing steps in a process without a visual cue, have OCD and need a cue to stop, or be deaf...all of these things can make it very hard to properly wash hands while relying on singing a song for timing. 
 

I am very proud of the team at Time Timer that very quickly recognized these challenges and the impact for personal health and safety during this pandemic.  We will be launching the Time Timer WASH, which is an innovative visual timer that provides cues that make it easy for anyone, any age or ability level, to spend the correct amount of time and perform the steps in order, for proper handwashing.  It may not seem like a big thing to you or me, but for many people among us, it is.  It isn't just the independence that it can provide, it is the feeling of safety that comes with knowing that you or the people you care for have successfully washed their hands to protect themselves and those around them. 
 

When I started using the Time Timer WASH, I realized that I wasn't washing my hands long enough previously - despite my effort to be a conscientious handwasher.  When I started using it every time I washed my hands, the recommended 20 seconds of scrubbing didn't feel like such a long time anymore.   Especially right now during a pandemic, what could be better than the confidence of knowing you or someone you care for has one more line of protection against COVID-19.   
 

Make sure to wash your hands, to do it for long enough, and stay safe. 

Heather Rogers 

As a parent of two boys, one in middle school and one in elementary school, keeping hands clean has been something that we have battled since they were little bitty. Boys are after all, nothing if not dirt magnets, right? 

 
So, when COVID hit, I knew that the phrase “a little dirt don’t hurt,” no longer felt relevant, especially since my kids would be returning to school, in person.  

Being at home with our “own” germs is one thing. Keeping both my kids and the other kids, not to mention the teachers and staff of the school at school, safe, seems like a bigger battle. And, it’s has been at the forefront of our minds as a family.   

 
We are incredibly lucky to be partnering with a school that takes the safety and health of the kids so seriously.  

 
Here are some of the ways that my children have shared that things have changed for the better, in my opinion, at their school:  

 
Signs in the bathroom  

Let’s be honest here, if I was guessing, I would say that those signs were in the bathroom before March 2020. The important part is that my younger child is noticing them now.  

Less Hand Sanitizer, more soap and water.  

This is a change that I would like to see stick around. According to my middle schooler, if they ask in class to use hand sanitizer they are instead sent to the restroom to wash up with soap and water, which in my book is a big win!  

 
Wash hands in the bathroom after each class.  

This is another change for my middle schooler, because his pod travels to different teachers during the day, they wash their hands between each class, before entering the next classroom.  

 
For my youngest, who is still in elementary and primarily with the same teacher each day, they wash before and after their special area classes (PE, Art, Music) and before and after lunch and recess.  

 
At home, the biggest change that has come about is the fact that we have recently implemented washing hands as soon as we come home from any errands, at school or anything that takes us away from home.  

 
Both of my kids, including my too cool for anything middle schooler, are very excited about the Time Timer WASH. To have a visual reminder of how long hand washing is supposed to take, along with a catchy tune, is just another really good reinforcement of the habits that are more important than ever.