Handwashing is an effective personal hygiene practice that is proven to reduce the viral load on skin and hands. 

Ensure handwashing stations are accessible to students. If handwashing stations are not available, ensure students have access to fragrance-free alcohol-based hand sanitizer. Consider the height of any hand washing or sanitation stations; they need to be the right height for the target age group for accessibility.

Put procedures into place to wash hands before and after going outside and after sharing materials. Build a handwashing routine into the instruction schedule to allow students to wash their hands with warm water and soap for at least 20 seconds.

Provide fragrance-free soap. Artificial fragrances and some essential oils are known skin and respiratory irritants and can exacerbate eczema and other skin conditions. Be sure to use biodegradable soap if drain water is disposed of outside.

Consider the nearest source of water and how the water can be transported when choosing locations for handwashing stations.

Please note: Recommendations found within this document are based on the guidance published by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) as of November 5, 2021. According to the CDC, this “guidance is meant to supplement—not replace—any state, local, territorial, or tribal health and safety laws, rules, and regulations with which schools must comply.”

Handwashing Station

To create a handwashing station, purchase 5-gallon water jugs (with nozzles that can be easily operated by children), soap, and paper towels and place them on sturdy stools. Provide a waste bin with a fitted lid for used paper towels. Handwashing stations can also be placed at other strategic locations or can be put into a carrying cart that can be brought to different learning areas. See this example of a handwashing station from the Safe Plates Program at North Carolina State University.

Tippy Tap

Another option for a simple handwashing station is a “Tippy Tap.” According to tippytap.org, an organization dedicated to global handwashing education, the tippy tap is “a simple, hygienic device to wash hands with soap & water.” This solution is low-cost, hands-free, and saves water. It involves hanging a jug of water that dispenses water by tipping when an attached string is stepped on. See “How to Build a Tippy Tap” below; click on the instructions to view them in multiple languages.

Mobile Handwashing Station

Use of readily available, lightweight, natural materials makes for an easy to transport handwashing station. This version is a great idea for outdoor events during which you may need some additional handwashing stations, or for field trips during which access to a sink is limited. Watch this short video from MudWorks that demonstrates creating a mobile handwashing station by handing a water jug from three bamboo poles and attaching a simple wood “lever.” Place in an area where excess water can be easily directed away from feet and will not cause a slip hazard, or add a catch basin.

Link to the landscape

Depending on the location and frequency of use, handwashing stations could be set up in a way that diverts excess water to a planter or bioswale, either directly, through a simple filtration system made of natural materials like sand and rocks, or through a greywater system.

This is also a great educational opportunity to learn about water conservation and recycling, or how to build a greywater system and test various filtration materials. If you are directing any water back into the landscape, it is important to use hand soaps that are non-toxic and biodegradable (as well as free of salt and borax, which can harm soil and plants).

Your school’s facilities manager, buildings and grounds staff, or custodial staff can inform you of existing cleaning and disinfecting practices. Be sure that staff are trained and are using cleaning and disinfecting products that are appropriate for use on outdoor surfaces. 

Also keep in close touch with the following for updated guidelines and regulations, such as:

Local county and state health departments,

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and

United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).