Using Hand Sanitizer As An Effective Substitute For Soap And Water

by erin on March 15, 2011

When you are out and about with your family, either running errands or having fun, it is not always an easy task to find a restroom with soap and water to wash your hands. With frequent cleansing being the best way to keep germs and illnesses at bay, it’s a good idea to have an alternative. Thankfully, alcohol based hand sanitizer is easily available for those times when you need to cleanse your hands on the go.

Mothers will tell you that the easiest way remain in good health and avoid sicknesses is to frequently wash your hands with soap and water. When you take a moment to consider all of the things your hands touch in a day, it’s easy to see that mother knows best. Take public transportation, for example. The number of people that will hold onto the handrails or poles as they travel on the bus or subway over the course of a day is staggering. Money is another item that we handle everyday that is frequently passed from hand to hand.

We have no way of knowing what types of pathogens remain on these everyday items as we hold on to the handrails on the bus or take our change from a cashier. The next time you go out, pay attention to the people who are out and about along side you. You will likely notice someone, or a few people, who are coughing and sneezing into their hands or wiping their noses with tissue. Chances are, you will not see them immediately wash their hands or use waterless hand cleanser immediately after. It is highly likely that you will touch several things throughout the day that have been previously touched by someone battling a cold or the flu.

The fast track for germs and pathogens to enter your body is your hands. When we touch something that someone else has touched, we do not usually even give it a second thought. As we then make unconscious but common gestures like touching our noses or mouths or rubbing our eyes, we then introduce the germs and pathogens that are sitting on out hands into our bodies. This action is never something that we think about, but perhaps we should.

Avoiding illness yourself is not the only reason to practice good hygiene. Common decency would suggest that we maintain good hygiene for our own health and for the health of others. People concerned with their own welfare and the welfare of others should be sure to wash their hands after visiting the restroom or coughing into their hands. Also, washing your hands before you eat or handle food is always a good practice to follow.

The best method for keeping your hands clean is to wash them frequently with soap and water. In school, small children are taught to wash their hands for the duration of the alphabet song or any other song that is fifteen to twenty seconds long. Remember that thoroughness is as important as the length of time you spend washing. Be sure to wash all parts of your hands, including the front, back, and in between your fingers. Of course, washing with soap and water is not always an option. For those times, using alcohol-based cleansers is an effective alternative.

Alcohol based cleansers do not require you to use water. You simply apply the gel to your hands and rub your hands together briskly until the gel has dried. The active ingredient in these cleansers is almost always a form of alcohol, either isopropanol, ethanol, n-propanol, or povidone-iodine. You want an alcohol-based cleanser with at least sixty percent alcohol as its active ingredient. Most cleansers contain between seventy and ninety five percent alcohol, plus moisturizers and essential oils to condition the skin and leave it smelling clean and fresh.

Practicing good personal hygiene is the best weapon you have against pathogens and viruses that can lead to illness. To keep you and your family happy and healthy, carry a bottle of hand sanitizer, such as Purell, with you whenever you go out. This way, you can be sure to have a safe and effective germ killer available for your use at any time or place.

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