To take a free or a penalty drop you

Stand up straight

Hold ball at shoulder height and at arms length and drop it

You can clean the ball before you take a drop

It is also a good idea to mark the position of the ball before you pick it up with a tee peg so you can then see if the ball has moved nearer to the hole when you drop it

You can also place tee pegs to show the area where you can drop the ball (1 club length from nearest point of relief or 2 club lengths when taking a penalty drop)

Rule 20-2