You are able to remove almost all types of germs from your hands simply by washing your hands with soap and water. Hand sanitizer (also called hand antiseptic or hand rub), however, is used to kill certain pathogens on the skin that normal soap and water cannot. It is an agent available in the form of liquid, foam or gel in the stores. The main ingredient of all hand sanitizers is alcohol (although there are still some hand sanitizers that don’t contain alcohol).
When to use hand sanitizer
● In most situations, washing your hands with soap and water is enough, so you don’t always need to use hand sanitizer. However, when soap and water is not readily available to you and you have your personal bottle of hand sanitizer in your pocket, use it.
● If you are going to visit a person you know in the hospital, use hand sanitizer to get your hands germs-free before and after visiting him or her. If that patient is affected by Clostridioides difficile, use soap and water instead of hand sanitizer.
● After coughing, sneezing or blowing your nose, you should immediately clean your hands by applying hand sanitizer and rubbing your hands for about 20 seconds.
When not to use hand sanitizer
Hand sanitizer is an excellent agent that kills germs quickly at many situations, but you should use hand sanitizer in the right situations.
● You don’t need to use hand sanitizer when soap and water is enough at removing germs or works better than hand sanitizer.
● When your hands are dirty or greasy after you have done some outdoor work like gardening, camping or fishing, you should wash your hands with soap and water rather than using hand sanitizer just to sanitize your hands.
● Soap and water can be more effective than hand sanitizer when removing pathogens like Cryptosporidium, Clostridioides difficile and norovirus.
● When you have touched harmful chemicals like pesticides and heavy metals like lead, it’s advised to wash your hands with soap and water rather than applying hand sanitizer.
Knowing the difference between the effectiveness and choice of hand washing with soap and water, and hand rubbing with hand sanitizer is very important as it pertains to different applications. That knowledge will help you prevent sickness better.
Always use alcohol-based hand sanitizer
Alcohol is the main ingredient of most sanitizers available on the market. There are still some hand sanitizers that are sold without alcohol and you should always avoid those that don’t contain alcohol.
So, check the composition of the hand sanitizer you are buying and there must be at least 60% alcohol in your hand sanitizer.
Alcohol content in the hand sanitizers denatures proteins, which then neutralizes the viruses and bacteria on the hand’s surface area. For alcohol-based hand sanitizers, a 60 to 95% ethanol or isopropanol is recommended.
Most cheaper hand sanitizers available on the market use a non food grade alcohol that contains methanol. Methanol can be detrimental to health as it can be absorbed through the skin into the bloodstream. Food grade alcohol or Ethanol is the better alternative that helps avoid health risks while wiping down surface areas and destroying bacteria and preventing cross contamination. It has no such poisons as those cheaper products contain, so it is safe although repeated use of ethanol may dry or irritate your skin. So, avoid overuse of any hand sanitizer.
If you are into manufacturing hand sanitizers and are looking for a high-quality food grade alcohol that has the highest efficacy, Extractohol is the right choice for you.
