Kutol Products Company has announced that John Washburn of Fulton Distributing in Tucson, Ariz. is the December “Wash-it-Away” Photo Contest winner with the prize of a new Microsoft Surface tablet. His winning photo that encourages proper handwashing was taken in the busy kitchen of a local Mexican restaurant where a Kutol Luxury Hand Soap dispenser is prominently located.

The Kutol “Wash-it-Away” Photo contest was launched on October 15, 2013 in conjunction with Global Handwashing Day and runs until January 15, 2014, with one more monthly winner and a Grand Prize winner to be announced by the end of January.

The company says the “Wash-it-Away” Photo Contest encourages proper handwashing by posting colorful mirror clings in restrooms across the country as a fun reminder that soap and water is a proven way to effectively fight the spread of flu and colds. Distributor sales reps are competing for prizes by submitting creative photos of the mirror clings they post in their accounts.

“A recent study by Michigan State University revealed that only five percent of those observed in public restrooms wash their hands in the proper way using soap and washing for the proper amount of time,” said Dan Renner, marketing director of Kutol Products Company. “However, the study also found the use of signage increased the likelihood of proper handwashing techniques. As we head into cold and flu season, we saw the opportunity to encourage proper handwashing with colorful mirror clings and a fun contest.”

According to the CDC, proper hand washing is the most effective way to reduce the spread of infectious disease, however 95 percent of the subjects in the Michigan study failed to follow the correct procedures. The most prevalent error most people make is cutting short the amount of time in rubbing their hands together while hand washing and neglecting to scrub the back of their hands, between their fingers, and under their nails.