Concept · under Hygiene and sick workers
Hand washing steps, start to finish
A food handler's handwash takes at least 20 seconds from first rinse to dry hands, and 10 to 15 of those seconds are hard scrubbing. That's section 2-301.12 of the FDA Food Code 2022, the edition the PFH course is built on, and the 2026 edition kept both numbers.
- ExamPFH
- Questions here7
- UpdatedOct 14, 2026
On this page 8 sections
Where the time goes
Soap loosens what's on your skin. Friction and time are what carry it down the drain, so the scrub is the step that matters most and the one that shrinks first when tickets pile up. The code asks for a plain "cleaning compound" at the hand sink; antibacterial soap isn't required.
The wash anchors the rest of the hygiene rules, like a plain band as the only ring on your hands and a hair restraint on the line; those are on personal hygiene and sick workers.
Five steps, in the order the code lists them
Rinse under warm running water
Clean, running water from a hand sink that delivers at least 85°F (29°C). A metering tap has to run at least 15 seconds per push, so you shouldn't be slapping it mid-wash.
Apply soap
As much as the soap maker's directions call for, worked into a lather over your hands and any bare forearm. The code covers exposed arms too (2-301.12(A)).
Scrub for 10 to 15 seconds
Rub hard. Work under the nails and between the fingers. If dough or grease packs under your nails on your station, a nail brush earns its spot by the sink.
Rinse again
Back under running water until the lather and what it lifted are gone.
Dry
Paper towel, a continuous towel or an air dryer, whichever the sink has. Shut a hand-operated faucet with the paper towel, so clean hands don't grab the handle you turned on with dirty ones.
Back to the sink after any of these
- Using the restroom
- Touching your face, hair, a pimple or any bare skin
- Coughing, sneezing or blowing your nose
- Eating, drinking, smoking or vaping on break
- Handling dirty dishes or a bus tub
- Working with raw meat, poultry or seafood, before you touch anything ready to eat
- Taking out trash or handling cleaning chemicals
- Handling a service animal
- Right before you glove up for a food task
The hand sink, set up right
| Item | Rule | Section |
|---|---|---|
| Water | At least 85°F (29°C), through a mixing valve or combination faucet | 5-202.12(A) |
| Faucet | Self-closing or metering taps run at least 15 seconds per push | 5-202.12(C) |
| Soap | Liquid, powder or bar soap at every hand sink or pair of sinks | 6-301.11 |
| Drying | Disposable towels, a continuous towel system or an air dryer | 6-301.12 |
| Access | Reachable at all times, so no cases stacked in front of it | 5-205.11(A) |
| Use | Handwashing only: no dumping coffee, no filling pitchers | 5-205.11(B) |
| Never wash hands in | A prep sink, a dish sink or a mop sink | 2-301.15 |
Gel at the host stand
Hand antiseptic, the gel or foam in a pump bottle, is meant for hands that were already washed. The Food Code ties it to clean hands in 2-301.16, and some antiseptics also need a water rinse or gloves before your hands go near food. The bottle by the register is an add-on; the sink does the work.
Gloves follow the same order: wash first, then glove. The glove and bare-hand rules pick up from there. Hands are also the road several of the Big 6 pathogens take into food, norovirus and hepatitis A among them, which is why the code spells out the wash in this much detail.
At the hand sink
Order, timing and the sink itself. Each option flips to a note that says why.
Each question is a chit, an order ticket. Answer it and it flips to show why every option is right or wrong.
No. 01
What is the correct order of handwashing steps?
Pick one. The chit flips to a note on every option.
Notes on No. 01
- A
Wet, scrub, soap, dry, rinse Scrubbing before soap goes on doesn't lift germs, and drying before rinsing leaves soap and dirt on your hands.
- B
Scrub, wet, soap, dry, rinse Scrubbing dry hands without soap doesn't clean, and the rinse must come before drying.
- C
Wet, soap, scrub, rinse, dry Correct: Wet with warm water, lather with soap, scrub 10 to 15 seconds for a 20-second total, rinse, then dry with a towel or air dryer.
- D
Soap, wet, rinse, scrub, dry Soap on dry hands and scrubbing after rinsing leaves residue and skips proper lathering.
- A
No. 02
When must food handlers wash their hands?
Pick one. The chit flips to a note on every option.
Notes on No. 02
- A
After using the restroom and before handling food Correct: Hands get washed at moments like after the restroom and before starting food prep, because that's when germs get on or need to come off.
- B
Once every hour, on a set timer A timer misses the moments that matter, like right after handling raw meat or taking out the trash.
- C
Only when their hands look visibly dirty Germs from the restroom or raw meat aren't visible, so clean-looking hands can still be contaminated.
- D
Only at the start of their shift and after break Washing at shift start and after break misses every contamination in between, such as raw meat, trash, and touching your face.
- A
No. 03
Which part of the hand is most often missed during handwashing?
Pick one. The chit flips to a note on every option.
Notes on No. 03
- A
Thumbs and fingertips Correct: Thumbs and fingertips get missed most, yet they touch food the most, so give them focused scrubbing every wash.
- B
The wrist crease The wrist gets wet and soapy in a normal wash, while thumbs and fingertips are the spots people actually skip.
- C
The center of the palm The center of the palm gets the most attention, since that's where people rub soap first.
- D
The heel of the hand Rubbing palms together covers the heel of the hand; thumbs and fingertips are the weak spots.
- A
No. 04
Right after washing, a prep cook wipes their hands dry on their apron. Is that OK?
Pick one. The chit flips to a note on every option.
Notes on No. 04
- A
Yes, if the apron was clean at the start of the shift Aprons pick up food, grease and germs within minutes of the first task, so clean at shift start doesn't mean clean now.
- B
Yes, as long as gloves go on right after Gloves pulled over hands wiped on a dirty apron just trap the germs inside; hands must be clean and dry first.
- C
No, an apron puts soil back on; use a paper towel or dryer Correct: The code dries hands with paper towels, a continuous towel or an air dryer, because an apron or uniform puts soil back on clean hands.
- D
No, hands should air-dry by shaking them over the sink Shaking hands dry isn't one of the code's methods, and it sprays water around the sink; dry with a towel or an air dryer.
- A
No. 05
A breakfast cook cracks a flat of raw shell eggs, then needs to butter toast. What comes in between?
Pick one. The chit flips to a note on every option.
Notes on No. 05
- A
Nothing; raw eggs aren't raw meat, so hands are fine Raw shell eggs can carry Salmonella on and inside the shell, so they count as raw animal food, just like meat, poultry and seafood.
- B
A full handwash at the hand sink before the toast Correct: Going from raw animal food like shell eggs to ready-to-eat toast is a task change, and it calls for a full handwash first.
- C
A wipe on a clean towel to get the egg off A towel moves egg off your skin but leaves Salmonella behind; only soap, scrubbing and rinsing at the hand sink remove it.
- D
A squirt of hand gel, then straight to the toast Gel goes only on hands that were already washed; it doesn't replace the wash after handling raw eggs.
- A
No. 06
What should food handlers do after touching their uniform?
Pick one. The chit flips to a note on every option.
Notes on No. 06
- A
Wash hands Correct: Your uniform carries dirt and germs from the whole shift, so wash your hands before going back to food.
- B
Continue working Going straight back to food carries whatever was on the uniform onto it.
- C
Use hand sanitizer Sanitizer doesn't replace a handwash after hands touch something dirty.
- D
Change gloves only New gloves on unwashed hands get contaminated as you put them on; wash first, then glove.
- A
No. 07
A new dishwasher asks how long the whole handwashing process should take, from wetting hands to drying them. What is the minimum?
Pick one. The chit flips to a note on every option.
Notes on No. 07
- A
At least 5 seconds Five seconds is barely enough to wet your hands, far short of the minimum.
- B
At least 20 seconds Correct: the whole process, from wetting to drying, takes at least 20 seconds.
- C
At least 10 seconds 10 to 15 seconds is the scrub with soap, not the whole process.
- D
At least 60 seconds A full minute is fine, but the minimum the Food Code sets is 20 seconds.
- A
Nothing matches both filters. Clear one of them.
Asked at the hand sink
Does the water have to be hot?
Warm is enough. FDA Food Code 2022, section 5-202.12, sets a floor of 85°F (29°C) at the hand sink. Water that's comfortable enough to keep your hands under for the full 20 seconds does the job.
Is the 7-step handwashing chart from the clinic the same thing?
Those charts split the scrub into hand motions: palms, backs of the hands, between the fingers and so on. For a food handler card, the Food Code's five steps are the answer, and the motions fit inside step three.
The hand sink is blocked by a delivery. Can I use the prep sink?
No. Section 2-301.15 rules out prep sinks, dish sinks and mop sinks for handwashing. Clear the hand sink, or tell the person in charge (PIC) so it gets cleared, then wash there.
Sources
- FDA Food Code 2022 — 2-301.12 handwash procedure; 2-301.14 when to wash; 2-301.15 where; 2-301.16 hand antiseptics; 5-202.12, 5-205.11, 6-301.11, 6-301.12 hand sinks checked Oct 13, 2026
- FDA, summary of changes in the 2026 Food Code — handwashing times unchanged checked Oct 13, 2026