Hand Sanitizers Help You Stay Healthy

Washing your hand frequently with soap and water can prevent the spread of many dangerous diseases. If water and soap are not available, you can use hand hand sanitizers.

What is hand sanitizer? A hand sanitizer is a gel, foam, and liquid solution that kills viruses and bacteria. It is typically used for cleaning hands when soap and water are not available. You will find two types of hand sanitizers, alcohol based hand sanitizers and non-alcohol hand sanitizers.

Alcohol based hand sanitizers use alcohol to kill most bacteria, fungi and many viruses. You could find different amount of concentration of alcohol in various sanitizers. Some have up to 85% of alcohol whereas others have 60%. Common hand sanitizers found in the market contain 62% of alcohol. The most common brands of alcohol hand rubs include Purell sanitizers, Avant, Sterillium, Desderman and Allsept S.

Some hand sanitizers are produced with extra ingredients including natural products and essential oils. These hand sanitizers can kill germs as well as moisturize the skin. Hospitals use sanitizer dispensers equipped with elbow controlled mechanism to prevent any contact with the pump.

Non-alcohol based hand sanitizers use small quantity of benzalkonium chloride or triclosan to kill gems.

Alcohol is known as a preservative. As they do not contain alcohol, the non-alcohol based hand sanitizers. can become contaminated.

User Guide to Hand Sanitizer

Everybody knows that hand sanitizers could kill most bacteria and viruses. What is the correct way to use it and when should we use it?

The proper way of using hand sanitizer is as shown below:

• Apply enough sanitizer gel to wet your hands
• Rub your hands together. Cover both hands and fingers with the solution. Keep rubbing until your hands are dry.
• Wash your hands with soap and water if they hands are visibly dirty.
• When to apply the sanitizer gel? It would be a good idea to sanitizer your hands:
  • before and after preparing food.
  • before meals.
  • before and after treating wounds.
  • after using the toilet.
  • after touching an animal.
  • after handling something that could be contaminated, such as garbage.

Pros of Hand Sanitizers

Most people think that the alcohol based hand sanitizers could make your skin dry. Well it is true. However, it dries skin less than hand washing with soap and water.

Hand sanitizers kill viruses like flu virus, the common cold virus, and HIV and a lot of bacteria for instance antibiotic resistant bacteria and TB bacteria. They also kill fungi.

Common Risk of Hand Sanitizer

Alcohol is flammable. Alcohol based hand sanitizers can catch fire of it. However, some hand sanitizers with high high water content or moisturizing agents may not produce this effect. To minimize the risk of fire, it would be a good idea to rub your hands until dry. This is because it only takes few second for the flammable alcohol in hand sanitizers to evaporate into the air. Your hands are dry means that the alcohol is gone.

Tags: flu, foam soap, Gojo, hand soap, hand soap foam, Purell, sanitizers