Display Search Bar

5 Minutes for Mom

Main navigation

Beating Bugs with Better Hand Washing

by

This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy here.

I am a huge hand washing advocate.

Personally, I hate being sick – and I hate having sick kids! When I hear that a classmate or playmate of my kids has a stomach bug, my own stomach tightens and turns and my palms start to sweat just a little. I instinctively have the urge to wash my kids’ hands right that second!

I am not the greatest disciplinarian, but one rule that I set when Jackson was a baby was that everyone (adults too!) washes their hands every time they come in the house.

Regular hand washing is so ingrained in Jackson that he rarely questions it.

When he arrives home with a play date, he instructs the other child, “Let’s go wash our hands!” as he drops his coat and shakes off his Crocs in the middle of the living room. (Remember I said I am not the greatest disciplinarian? But hey – at least his hands are clean!) 😉

Occasionally, as I holler at Jackson to come back and pick up his shoes, the play date will raise his eyebrow at me and question why he has to wash his hands. Before I can answer, Jackson will bellow above the sound of the running water that it is a rule in our house. The other child then shrugs his shoulders and runs off to wash up.

I breathe a little bit easier – and sometimes pick up the Crocs and the coat.

Reader Interactions


342 Comments

  5. I’m a germ freak so this would come in so handy at our house. Thanks for the great giveaway!

  9. We have the little stool next to the sink so it is easier for the kids to reach. Hand washing is huge in our house as well because my hubby has weak lungs and when he gets sick it is a long recovery for him. So when the grandkids (all seven of them) come over they know hand washing at Grandma’s is a must. Of course the parents are sticklers too.

    Thanks so much!

  13. I would love to win this not only to use at our house, but to share with my son’s Kindergarten class. I’m sure that a lot of thew illnesses that my family has been experiencing are oming home from his school! Thank you so much for the contest.

  16. I take care of two 3 year olds plus my own two kids, this would be great since all of them hate when they have dirty hands.

  18. As a teacher, I used to get so annoyed that my students didn’t have a place to wash their hands before lunch. Ugh! Handwashing is the best defense from getting a nasty bug.

  19. Our house is all about the handwashing. I love Dial soap – the gold bar smell reminds me of my grandfather – he asks for that every year for Christmas 🙂

  26. I work in a hospital lab so I know very well the importance of good hand washing, and antibacterial soap is the best kind of soap to use!

  27. I’ve tried this before, and I love the scent and texture. I’m foamin’ at the mouth for more.

    (thanks for another fun contest)

  31. I hate flu season with a passion! And though it’s always important to wash your hands, it is even more important right now. My son sometimes rushes the hand washing, but he loves the foaming soaps and this would really come in handy for us right now. Thanks so much for the chance to win!

  33. Our youngest is autistic, so we’ve worked for years on self-care skills, including basic hygiene stuff like washing hands — now, if we run out of soap, we definitely HEAR about it. So you are potentially helping preserve a certain peace of mind around here, thanks!

  34. Particularly pertinent since there have been several recent reports of MRSA infection (one fatal) — so good timing. Thanks for the opportunity!

  35. I am a bit OCD so I too am a huge hand washing advocate! I think I have rubbed off on my husband and kids because they too wash their hands alot. The kids don’t mind washing their hands when I ask them to, which is several times a day, I think they love the smell of the soap (I usually buy the fruity smelling ones) and also as long as I let them “play with the water” a little while they are washing up! I figure you have to pick and choose your battles and if playing with the water a little is the way to ensure they wash their hands, then I don’t mind wiping up behind them, it is only water!! We go through so much hand soap in our home that it would be so nice to have a backup supply for a while to ensure we have enough to get us through cold and flu season which is quickly approaching us!

  37. would love to win this one! Please pick me….maybe this will convince my teenager to wash his hands

  38. I get that feeling in my stomach and my hands get a little sweaty too Janice! I hate that feeling! Thanks for the post, it is something that makes a big difference at our house with the illnesses.

  39. I think handwashing is very important and feel that if more people would take the time to wash their hands properly, we could help eliminate common sicknesses that are linked to unsanitary hygiene practices.

  44. Beat the bugs . . . with all my outdoor work, this Antibacterial Foaming Hand Wash from Dial would really come in handy. One for the house; one in the garage; one for the work shop . . . .

  51. Cute video!! My granddaughter loves the foaming hand soap. We sing the ABC song 3 times while she scrubs her hands to make sure she washes thoroughly. She actually looks forward to handwashing now! Thanks for the chance to win your great giveaway!

  53. I have 4 kids. Need I say more? They know if I hold their hand, I can tell if its washed or not. I promise, if I win, we will use every drop of that stuff.

  55. We go through lots of soap here with sticky dirty hands. My 5 year old is also a little OCD with hand washing too.

  60. I definitely relate to the aversion to sick classmates story. You want to wrap your kids in sterile cotton before sending them out.

  64. I’d love to be entered to win some of the Dial Antibacterial Wash. We go through so much hand soap around here.

  67. I think it’s really important to wash your hands to prevent illness. Would love to try the foaming hand wash.

  72. Hand washing is very important in our house. Even more so during th cold and flu season. Thanks!

    braaisjo at gmail dot com

  78. Working at a preschool, I realize how important it is for all hands to be clean and how quickly illnesses could be spread

  80. We could definately use this around my house. With 3 young boys, it would come in handy!!

  84. This would be great. We get in the habit of washing our hands as soon as we come home. My kids are finally getting into the habit without being reminded.

  85. I go through this stuff like mad. My grandkids and great grandkids come over and they use it! Great giveaway and thanks for it!

  87. My cable TV work in the past led me to be out among a LOT of people and one always ends up shaking hands, and I am not averse to this but realize how many times I’ve gotten colds and flus through this mere gesture! Even now I do many things (art shows, journalism) dealing with the general public and would love to scrub with antibacterial wash!

  96. I was always after my kids to wash their hands, and now I hear them telling their kids, so I guess I did teach them that.

  105. Great giveaway! With one school age child and one toddler, we can never have enough soap. Thanks!

  113. I wash my hands frequently and I keep potato chip type bags on hand so if I have to pick up something nasty I can use the bag over my hand and then throw the bag out.

  124. Nothing satisfies that obsessive cleanliness bug in me like Dial Antibacterial Foaming Hand Wash!! Thank you for the contest!

  125. I’d love to win, with three kids, I can never have enough germ fighters in the house!

  130. I think I have turned my two youngest children into germaphobics. My daughter has to have a bottle of hand sanitizer in her back pack everyday and my son constantly washes his hands.
    tamben7996(at)aol(dot)com

  132. Hand washing is a must do at our house. I do not want to get sick and the kids can bring so many germs home. Great giveaway! I love soap!!!!

  133. I too, am not the best disciplinarian, but am anal about handwashing. I work at a school, an now the boys are in school too, we are surrounded by germs and I’ve got to do everything I can to keep germ-free! Hope to win.

  134. We have recently added 4 children to our house hold ( via foster care)Making the total 6 children! so this would come in handy big big time! Here is a Video of our son learning to wash his hands at the age of 8 ( He is special needs)

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8J8XV2ZHNE0

    We charish this video and I watch it very often every week!! Anytime I am having a bad day I just watch our miracle son in action! [email protected]

  136. We go through so much soap here with the little man, I could ALWAYS use more!! Thank you for the chance to win!!

  137. I could so use this, for myself, hubby and my grandchildren especially! We are all so much more aware of how important washing our hands is!

    Thanks

  138. As parents of preemie twins, we constantly wash our hands to keep those nasty germs away (esp rsv!). This would be great to win!
    Jen

  140. Please enter me. It’s not just kids that need to learn to wash their hands better… I have seen plenty of adults walk out of a restroom without bothering to wash their hands, so gross!!

  145. I’m always telling the boys to wash their hands, and they do seem to like the foaming soap better

  150. You can never have too much soap. Especially in the house of a clean freak! 🙂

  151. My grandchildren think their hands are not wash unless they use the soap in a pump bottle.
    Thank you for this great healthy contest and prize!

  154. We keep Dial (Soothing White Tea at the moment) by the kitchen sink for washing before handling food.

  157. I have always been a obsessive hand washer. With my new baby due any day Ive been washing everything even more! DH jokes that the baby will come out of the womb and ask to be carried immediately to the sink to wash his hands as well! hahaha! But especially with all the dirty diapers I am about to touch I would LOVE to win some extra Dial soap to help me in washing away all those germs!

  159. I’ve worked with my son for months to get him to understand the importance of handwashing. We wash every time before we eat and after potty, of course, but I find him washing his hands all the time….I hope I haven’t created a monster!

  163. My house needs the dial complete as it not only washes the germs and dirt off, it also softens your hands. So no excuse but mom I’m washing my skin off by washing so much as some little kids were heard saying in a public restroom.
    Thank you for giving my family a chance to try a new product and kill bugs and germs too.

    [email protected]

  169. I love using Dial products around our house. We go through a lot of soap around here with a 6 year old and changing newborn diapers so this would definitely come in handy. Thanks so much for the great opportunity!

    furygirl3132[at]comcast[dot]net

  177. Thanks so much!

    It’s so great that you’ve established the importance of hand washing to your son!

  178. I love Dial Foaming handwash — we use it at home. My hubby has several health problems and it’s the best soap, by far, for him to keep his hands clean.

  180. I would like to blast those germs away with Dial Complete Antibacterial Foaming Hand Wash. Enter me in your contest please.

  193. Handwashing is so important with flue season upon us! I would love to win this great giveaway!

  194. We can never have too much soap. We are always washing our hands around here. Hope I win. thanks for the chance.

  197. Hand soap is in high-demand at our house, with three homeschooling kiddos and a messy husband. LOL. 🙂

  198. Jackson is so funny!!!! I love that he only washed his hands for about 3 seconds of the entire video.

  199. Oh yeah, we do a lot of handwashing here too, especially at this time of year! Thanks for the contest!

  202. Hand washing really is the single best thing we can do to prevent getting sick – thanks for reminding us to emphasize this important habit.

  204. There are few things that will make me sick to my stomach like being in a public restroom and realizing that someone is leaving without washing their hands! Maybe they should post some of those videos on continuous running loops in the restroom.

  205. we are trying to get my kids into the habit of washing their hands constantly. i love dial products and would love to win

  214. Always having the soap in a pump bottle makes hand washing easier for the kids.They love to use the pump.

  215. Proper handwashing is such a big prevention during cold and flu season. I would love to try this soap!

  218. I always teach the little ones to sing Happy Birthday as you wash your hands. You know you’re done washing when the song is over!

    Thanks for the chance to win.

  220. With flu season and colds appearing everywhere. It is important to wash those hands and arms and face and nose.

  221. I work on a farm careingf for three little boys who love to play outside and work with Daddy we need lots of soap….. Great contest…

  226. I would so love to win this! We go through SOOO much soap duringthe winter season…This be be super handy!
    sblilly14(@)yahoo(.)com

  243. Apparently DD#1’s class at preschool learned a song to sing while washing their hands. She can’t remember all the words but I don’t sing it right. That is quite apparent. But she loves standing on the step stool and ‘doing the soap’ and anything else that will keep bed time from getting closer. this is a great opportunity to help out and to help kids create good habits. Thanks.

  250. This is the only soap I’ll use so I can never, ever have to much of it stocked up in the house!

  251. Great prize that will certainly be useful, please enter me into this fantastic giveaway, thanks

  257. We stress the importance of washing hands to everyone we know. Especially during cold and flue season.

    I love Dial!!

    🙂 Thank you for the great giveaway! 🙂

  261. LOL Jackson is hilarious. He sure has it down, doesn’t he? 🙂

  264. Always cleaning up after dogs, cats, feeding birds. Handwashing frequently. NEED SOAP!
    What keeps happening to my entries? They disappear??

  266. My 2 yr old son is all about hand washing…he will grab something that resembles a “bottle” and pretend like he is pouring it in his hands and then with the most serious look on his face, he “washes” his hands. It is SO cute!!!

  269. Just in time for cold and flu season! I always make it a point to have liquid hand soap in each of the bathrooms and in the kitchen. I’m a lucky mom. My boys love washing their hands and being clean. Thanks for the opportunity!

    completelyme @ gmail dot com

  271. I would love to win the hand soap. Did you know antibacterial handsoap can be used to wash your face and helps fight acne. My daughter’s pediatrician told us that.

  272. We just bought this stuff when the after-hurricane colds hit our home, to ensure they didn’t get spread. Love this stuff! Would love to win! And thank you for sharing this contest, am going to enter theirs as well! 🙂

  273. National Hand Washing Day would start at my house. I keep a hand sanitizer at the computer so when the sneezes start, the hands get cleaned. Washing hands is almost a ritual here. I try not to become so hysterical each time someone needs to wash their hands, but an ounce or less of soap can help.

  274. I know that everyone used to have their kids wash up before dinner what happened to that?
    I dont’ have kids of my own but I watch my nieces and nephews a LOT, and they know I am make them wash up ALL THE TIME! I know where those hands have been, picking feet, picking noses, and places we won’t go!
    It sets a good habit for later in life so they do it naturally!

  275. Everybody could use more soap! Thanks for the link to the website – anything that instills how important it is to wash hands is wonderful.

  276. My daughter hears me tell her to wash the “tops, bottoms and in-betweens, please!”

    Thanks!

  277. Hey, cold & flu season is upon us & the very best way to fight it is by diligent hand washing! Count me in, who couldn’t use extra soap!

  281. I just love this foaming hand wash. It’s fantastic and doesn’t gum up the counter like regular soap!

  282. i’m a huge germophobe. i don’t know how many times i wash my hands in a day but i’m afraid to count!

  284. Love your video! Not fair that you can’t enter. I would love to win a carton of your Dial Hand Soap. We go through a lot of it in this house. Maybe, I have made my two sons obsessive compulsive. Just kidding. Please add my name to your drawing. I always appreciate it…..Cindi

  285. I would love to have this at my house! With two kids who can be very messy this would be great.

  289. they learn by example- and don’t think I have ever actually had to tell them wash again- I have to remind my husband more

  290. While I only have 2 little ones at home, I’ll soon be coming into contact with well over 100 middle school kids each day, so I need all the germ-fighting power I can muster! Here’s hoping!

  292. We need some help from all those winter bugs! The kids love foaming soap and do not complain as much about washing their hands as much with the foaming soap! 🙂

  293. I love soap….is that weird?! I stock up on it whenever it’s on sale!! LoL….if my husband ever looked in the cupboards, he’d wonder why I have SO MUCH soap! (laundry, hand, dish…)

  298. I work in a school cafeteria and completely understand and promote hand washing! Great giveaway – thanks for offering it!
    ~Tanya
    the4moyers(at)msn(dot)com

  299. Great prize, I would love to win some soap. I can never have enough in the house with 3 kids. Thanks for the great giveaway!

  304. I just stumbled across your site somehow. It is great to see a Canadian site like this! I am not a mom yet but will be soon. We are in the process to adopt a baby girl and hope to have her home sometime in the next year.
    Off to check out more of your site.
    Shannon

  305. My three year old would wash her hands all day if I let her. The foaming soaps are always easier and less messy too!

  306. Ever since I had my daughter I have become hand washing obsessed. I could really use this. Thanks

  308. Winter is approaching fast, and so is flu and colds season, so we could sure use all the Dial soap we can get! Thanks!

  309. Yes please! 🙂
    Perfect time of year for this giveaway. (back to school season;)
    Thanks.

  310. Love the foaming handwash. My daughter just entered preschool so we’re working on ingraining in her little head just how important good hand washing techique is!

  312. Handwashing is very important and the kids in daycare and school have to wash their hands a bunch of times a day which is great! I don’t even have to remind my kiddos, they are always wanting to wash their hands thanks to school!! I would love to try the Dial soap!

  314. Oh we’re handwashing and santizing fanatics around here–it started with my daughters 3 month stay in the NICU when she was born–I washed my hands and sanitized them so much they bled. Now we have to extra diligent to avoid the common germs that could really put her back in the hospital with lung complications! Love the video too!

  316. I could use the soap- I go into lots of classrooms and would love to slather the kids hands in it!

  318. That’s a great giveaway… and contest. I would love to win this because you never have too much soapl :))

  319. I’m a huge hand washing advocate in our house, too! It’s second nature to the kids now — they just KNOW, even at 2 and 4. My oldest is even asking his teachers at church to “please help him wash his hands” before he has snack. 🙂

    Thanks for the contest!
    Megret
    musesofmegret (at) gmail (dot) com

  320. Our baby is two months old and we are always washing our hands in our house…especially now that cold and flu season is on its way! By the way, loved Jackson’s video! He’s been trained well:)

  321. Hand washing has been a big deal in this house since about 2 years ago when we headed into our first winter with 3 premie babies in the house. We escaped RSV that first season thanks in part to good hand washing… and lots of luck!

  322. I’m lucky enough to have three kids who love to wash their hands, even a little too much. They love the foaming soap so this would be great for them.

  325. Cool contest! I do the hand sanitizer on everyone’s hands after we leave somewhere but I need to do better.

  327. My son LOVES to wash his hands. He’s only two, but he is always in the bathroom cleaning his hands.

  328. A great way to combat the signs of sickness or ever to PREVENT bad sickness is to moniter your childs diet. No processed sugar, no startches. No fruit snacks, no french fries and no goldfishes. Its tough, but worth it for your childs health.

    Put 3-5 drops of peroxide in thier ears and let sit for 30 secs. to 10 min. This is an excellent way of fighting germs.

  329. I’m pretty anal when it comes to hand washing too! It really does make a big difference. I’d love to be entered. 🙂

  330. I’m in! Washing hands is SOOO important. 🙂 Thank you for the opportunity to win! I was told recently that Dial (which IS what we use) is the best antibacterial soap and this from a doctor. 🙂

  334. This would be a great giveaway for us with our little one! He’s 2 and 1/2 months old so I think handwashing will be especially crucial for all his caregivers this winter. Thanks for a great giveaway.

  335. We go through soap like crazy! The foaming soap works so much better with my little ones.

  336. My son walks in the door from kindergarten and immediately walks to the sink to wash his hands. Unfortunately, that didn’t stop him from getting strep throat two weeks ago…Guess I need to teach him to not touch his face while he’s at school!

  337. We fight this battle all the time. I have tried numerous kinds of soap, signs up on the walls, an dreading books about germs. I would love to try some foamy soap.

  341. Just this morning my son was telling me that one of the little things he really wants is his own hand sanitizer. Maybe someday soon, kid!

  342. Hand washing is a big deal at our house. I have found that my children have less colds and stomach viruses now that they have better hand washing habits.