Good hand hygiene, including correct hand-washing technique, is the single most important practice in reducing the spread of skin infections, says a position statement by the National Athletic Trainers' Association on preventing, recognizing and treating skin infections in athletics, including community-associated methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (CA-MRSA). 
Proper hand-washing technique is as follows:
- Wet the hands
- Apply the amount of antimicrobial liquid soap (not bar) recommended by the soap's manufacturer
- Rub the hands together vigorously for at least 15 second
- Rinse the hands with water
- Dry hands thoroughly with a disposable towel.
Source: National Athletic Trainers' Association Position Statement: Skin Diseases, Journal of Athletic Training 2010; 45(4): 411-428, citing Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Guideline for hand hygiene in health-care settings: recommendations of the Healthcare Infection Control Practices Advisory Committee and the HICPAC/SHEA/APIC/IDSA Hand Hygiene Task Force, MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep. 2002; 51(RR-16):1-45.
