Hand Sanitizer- Helping or Hurting?

I’m sure that you’ve seen an abundance of the hand sanitizer dispensers everywhere; hospitals, the gym, grocery stores, day care centers, etc. But, the real question is whether these actually protect you from the dangerous viruses you see all over the news (ex. H1N1/Swine Flu). Well, sure… but only if used correctly.

Getting specific:

Hand sanitizer works when the alcohol (it’s active ingredient) dissolves the cellular membrane of the bacteria, which then inactivates the cell and does not cause a resistance to be formed to the alcohol. Washing your hands works by physically removing the germs from your hands, but this is only effective if it’s done correctly.

When purchasing your hand sanitizer, check the concentration of alcohol – at least 60% is recommended to properly disable the bugs.

Directions for use:

When used correctly, hand sanitizer needs to coat the skin 100% – it can only deactivate the germs it touches. Generally a dime-sized amount of gel will cover the hands. Rub hands together until completely dry. If hands appear soiled (dirt, blood, etc), it’s time to break out the soap and water.

WebMD goes through these 5 steps for proper hand washing:

1. Wash your hands with hot running water and soap. Children should use warm running water.
2. Rub your hands together for at least 20 seconds.
3. Pay special attention to your wrists, the backs of your hands, between your fingers, and under your fingernails
4. Leave the water running while you dry your hands on a paper towel.
5. Use the paper towel as a barrier between the faucet and your clean hands when you turn off the water.

The biggest downfall of soap and water:

The steps for sanitizing are visibly easier than the steps for proper hand washing, so it makes more likely for people to use the sanitizers, which is important. If no one is washing their hands, it’s not going to do any good.  We can keep small bottles of hand sanitizer in purses, cars, etc.

My personal opinion is that we should all wash our hands with soap and water whenever possible, but especially as we’re coming out of the bathroom, cooking in the kitchen, or after finishing up an afternoon of working outdoors. But, for those times when washing our hands isn’t feasible, hand sanitizer is a great alternative to doing nothing. I keep a bottle of sanitizer in my purse at all times and use it while I’m at the grocery store, leaving a friend’s house who has kids/dogs, or after touching something that makes me nervous (yes, those things are out there… have you seen peopleofwalmart.com?)