The question of whether or not you should get a flu shot this season is open to debate. The one preventative measure that is not is the benefit of frequently washing your hands. With that in mind, how long should we wash our hands? With warm water and mild soap on your hands you should sing (out loud or in your head) happy birthday three times or the alphabet song once. Conclude by drying your hands on a clean towel. Another option is to frequently use a quarter size drop of an alcohol-based hand sanitizing gel.