Guide · Hygiene

Washing hands without running water

Clean hands stop many illnesses spreading, especially stomach bugs. When the taps don't work, you can still wash properly with very little water.

When to wash

Before preparing food or eating.
After using the toilet or changing nappies.
After handling rubbish, animals or anything dirty.
Before and after treating a wound.
After coughing, sneezing or blowing your nose.

Make a tippy-tap

A tippy-tap gives you a thin stream of water using very little.

Take a clean plastic bottle or jerry can with a lid.
Make a small hole near the base, or near the top on the side, with a hot nail or knife point.
Fill it with water and hang it up, or tip it slightly, so a thin stream runs out.
Hang soap next to it on a string, in an old sock or stocking so it stays clean.
Put stones or gravel underneath to soak up the waste water and stop mud.

A bottle with a pin-hole in the cap works too: squeeze it gently for a short stream.

Washing with a jug and a helper

Ask someone to pour a little water over your hands to wet them.
Lather up with soap for at least 20 seconds. Scrub palms, backs, between fingers, thumbs, nails and wrists.
Have them pour again to rinse.
Shake hands dry or use a clean cloth. Don't wipe on dirty clothes.

Avoid washing in a shared bowl. Everyone ends up in the same dirty water.

Hand sanitiser

Alcohol-based sanitiser with at least 60% alcohol kills many germs. Use enough to cover all of your hands and rub until dry. It doesn't work well on visibly dirty or greasy hands, so wipe or wash off dirt first. It also doesn't remove some stomach bugs, so use soap and water whenever you can.

No soap?

Rub your hands with wood ash or sand and rinse well. This is better than water alone, but soap is best.

Saving water

Collect the used water and use it to flush the toilet.
Keep a bottle of water and soap by the toilet and the food area so it's always in the right place.

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