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It is not rocket science, but health experts told Action 4 there is a proper procedure to wash your hands.

They say it’s a move than can protect Rio Grande Valley residents from spreading H1N1 or other forms of the flu.

Alyson Hight is an infection prevention nurse at Valley Baptist Medical Center.

She said people are not really paying attention to hand hygiene, even though it is a simple way to avoid getting sick.

"People are not careful about hand washing like they should be," she said. "If you go into a bathroom you see people walking out without washing hands."

She said the right way to wash your hands starts of with rinsing your hands before adding the soap.

That makes it easier for the soap to get around your hands.

"You need to make sure you are getting all the surfaces of your hands, including under the fingernails, under and around the fingernails, your wrist area," Hight added.

She also said the length of time it takes to completely wash away most of the germs is 15 to 30 seconds.

"Another way to remember this is by singing the Happy Birthday song twice,” she said.

Once you're done washing, Hight said people should use one or two paper towels to dry your hands and one more in case a door needs to be opened on the way out.