A Dutch woman and an Englishman were in a philosophical discussion about cleanliness.

The old Englishman declared that he bathed about every two weeks.

With Dutch cleanliness engrained in her soul, the woman self-righteously declared that she bathed every day.

“You must be a dirty wench,” the Englishman replied.

The story had its origins in a time when society permitted good-natured ethnic jokes but it may illustrate a problem the U.S. finds itself in today.

We have a public scare about the rise in staph infections for two basic reasons. We don’t wash our hands nearly enough, and we’ve overused antibiotics and created a super bug that can be deadly.

So in this age when technology rules, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is taking us back to Hygiene 101. Not only is the CDC telling us when to wash our hands but is telling us how to do so effectively.

Sure, we wash hands when they get dirty. But that’s not often enough. The CDC says to wash before preparing or eating food, after going to the bathroom, changing a diaper or cleaning a child who has gone to the bathroom.

Here’s one good hygiene practice that some reports say people in the medical community fail:

Wash your hands before and after tending to someone who is sick.

Also wash, the CDC says, after blowing your nose, coughing, or sneezing or after handling an animal or animal waste.

Be sure to wash after handling garbage and before and after treating a cut or wound.

The CDC also has a primer on how to wash:

You might think that people know to wet their hands with clean running water and apply soap. CDC also says to use warm water if it is available. Then rub your hands together to make a lather and scrub all surfaces for 20 seconds.

How can you tell when time is up? Silently sing “Happy Birthday” twice. That should be about 20 seconds.

Rinse your hands well under running water, then dry them with a paper towel or air dryer. If possible, use your paper towel to turn off the faucet.

And you might use it to open the door if you are exiting a public restroom.

If you don’t have a portable lavatory, CDC says hand sanitizers work almost as well as soap and water.

Wash often and keep well.

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