The Draft National Institute for Clinical Excellence (NICE) guidelines are recommending that teachers demonstrate how to use soap and water correctly to tackle the spread of drug resistant bacteria such as the viral infection of the common cold. NICE says an effective hand-washing technique involves three stages: preparation, washing and rinsing, and drying. ◾Step 1: Wet hands under tepid running water before applying the soap ◾Step 2: Coat all surfaces of the hands with the soap and rub them together vigorously for 10-15 seconds, paying particular attention to the fingers, thumbs and areas between the fingers, then rinse thoroughly ◾Step 3: Dry with good quality paper towels The hands should always be washed after going to the toilet, before eating, before touching the face or mouth and after handling animals.