Holidays and Handwashing

Global Handwashing Day was just a few days ago, on October 15th, and we’re heading fast into the holiday season, so we thought this was a perfect time to talk about proper handwashing. With Halloween, Thanksgiving, and Christmas approaching, there will be many families, friends, and community gatherings where handwashing must be a priority to keep everyone healthy. So if you’re hosting a holiday event or just an attendee, here are some sanitizing and handwashing tips to benefit your gathering.

What is Proper Handwashing?

Proper handwashing techniques are defined thoroughly by the CDC. To sum it up, to effectively remove germs and dirt from your hands, you must scrub your hands with water and soap for at least 20 seconds. Using soap and water to wash your hands is genuinely the most effective way to remove germs, so a handwashing sink is crucial at your holiday event. Nowadays, portable sinks can give you the opportunity for proper handwashing when sinks and plumbing aren’t available. Now that we’ve defined proper handwashing, let’s dive into how this can play a significant role in a happy and healthy holiday season.

Remember Handwashing with Food Handling

Whether you are planning a fall festival with food trucks, facilitating an office holiday feast, or hosting extended family for Thanksgiving, food handling safety is a top priority. We have an entire post of tips for food handling safety, but we don’t want you to forget the most important guideline with handling food, wash your hands! 

When preparing food away from home and for a crowd, it’s essential to have handwashing sinks available to the people preparing food. Washing hands before and after preparing food can help reduce the spread of food-borne illnesses. If your event is outside or away from traditional sinks, your staff can still have access to handwashing through portable sinks with hot water.

It’s not just people prepping food who need to wash their hands. Your guests consuming the food should engage in proper handwashing as well. A lot of holiday and event food doesn’t necessarily require utensils, making it critical to provide convenient handwashing stations for guests.

Do Your Activities Require Handwashing?

Think about the activities offered at a holiday gathering and event. Fall and holiday event activities are often messy, like pumpkin carving, making gingerbread houses, and other crafts. Then, of course, we can’t forget about the beloved tradition of sitting on Santa’s lap! The point is that holiday activities include many high-touch surfaces and messy components that require handwashing before, during, and after.

Make it a priority to practice proper handwashing during these holiday activities and provide these opportunities to your guests. For example, if you’re facilitating a holiday event, walk through the space before the event begins to note the high-touch surfaces that will need extra sanitizing. Try spacing out guests in each activity so that you can sanitize surfaces and objects in between uses. It’s also wise to ask guests to wash their hands before and after interacting with the activity.

Consider a Portable Sink for Handwashing

Both staff and attendees need to practice proper handwashing throughout the holiday event. That can be difficult if plumbing, electricity, or a traditional sink isn’t readily available. A portable sink is an excellent option for any venue or facility, especially those without sinks nearby. Portable sinks allow people to conveniently and properly wash their hands without stepping away from the holiday fun.

The versatile nature of portable sinks makes them easy to implement at events and facilities of all sizes. You can choose a portable sink that uses electricity, propane, or battery-powered. Tanks for fresh water and wastewater make it possible to use portable sinks without plumbing. You can even find portable sinks constructed for outdoor use. If you want to provide the safest experience for your holiday event, portable sinks can fulfill that need and still allow the fun to happen around it.

The fall and holiday season is a joyful time for everyone. When you’re planning an event during the holiday season, people will come to make memories with their family and friends, so making it an extraordinary experience is the priority. Encouraging proper handwashing for everyone involved will lead to a safer, healthier, and, ultimately, more joyful experience. Handwashing is vital during food prep and handling for both guests and staff. The holiday season involves many hands-on activities for all ages, so handwashing before and after is essential. Portable sinks placed conveniently can meet all of these needs.

All Portable Sinks is your solution for simple and effective portable handwashing. We offer various portable sinks to meet every type of need and facility. Our goal is to help you provide a safe and clean environment for everyone. Contact us today to see how a portable sink could work at your event or facility. Connect with All Portable Sinks on Facebook and Instagram to learn more.