You should wash your hands for at least 20 seconds of active scrubbing with soap and water.

Quick Scoop

  • Minimum time: 20 seconds of scrubbing (not counting turning the tap on or off).
  • Easy timing trick: Hum or sing “Happy Birthday” twice from start to finish while you scrub.
  • Why 20 seconds: Studies show shorter washes remove fewer germs and chemicals from your skin.
  • Typical effective range: Around 20–30 seconds of good rubbing is enough for most situations.

What “good” handwashing looks like

During those 20 seconds, focus on:

  • Palms and backs of both hands.
  • Between your fingers.
  • Thumbs and fingertips.
  • Under fingernails as much as possible.

A simple example: turn on clean running water, wet hands, add soap, scrub all these areas for 20 seconds while humming “Happy Birthday” twice, then rinse and dry with a clean towel or air dryer.

Extra notes (2026 context)

Public health organizations still emphasize that proper handwashing is one of the easiest everyday ways to cut down on infections like colds, flu, and other respiratory or stomach bugs. You don’t need to scrub for much longer than 30 seconds in normal life; over-washing with hot water can dry your skin and cause irritation or tiny cracks.

TL;DR: Aim for 20 seconds of soapy scrubbing every time—“Happy Birthday” twice—and you’re doing it right.

Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.