Coronavirus - what to do while washing your hands

In the light of the spread of Coronavirus - Covid19 we are being reminded of the importance of frequent and thorough hand-washing with soap and water.

We are also being told by health advisors and others that it needs to be done for more than a cursory couple of seconds. Some suggest singing the song 'Happy Birthday' twice to ensure a minumum of 20 seconds. I have found that even done silently this feels rather silly, especially if I'm not celebrating anyone's birthday at the time.

As I believe that regular prayer is as important as regular hand-washing, this Lent I have decided to use a set prayer while I wash my hands. The Lord's Prayer takes about 20 seconds to say and longer in a sung version. So praying the Lord's Prayer is what I'm now practising while washing my hands with hot water and soap, or while using 60% alcohol hand-sanitiser. It's already feeling a lot less silly than singing happy birthday.

How about you? Do you have an alternative to singing 'Happy Birthday' that you find helpful for ensuring you cleanse your hands for the required length of time?

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