Hand Sanitizer - not The Best Protection, But Available

Hand sanitizers are consumed as a sterilizing substance in the form of liquid, gel, or foam that fights against infectious bacterias on the hand. They comprise 60% of rubbing alcohol that kills the germs present on the surface of the skin. They are a good replacement for soaps and hand wash. But is hand sanitizer enough to kill all the germs and is it as productive for health as it is assumed to be? The answer is obviously no and they are not a true replacement for handwashing, though they can kill most of the viruses and bacterias if there is 60 to 95 percent of alcohol in them but there are some germs that are immune to alcohol and still stay in our skin which does not make it a reliable selection when it comes to strengthening your hygiene.

Nevertheless, there are some benefits of using sanitizer:

1. Sanitizers are helpful if the water is not easily accessible;
2. They can kill most of the bacteria present on hands and decrease the spread of infections;
3. Many sanitizers are good to improve skin conditions as well;
4. They are portable so anyone can disinfect hands anywhere, anytime.

When Are Hand Sanitizers Useful?

They are practical because they are portable and keep hands tidy if someone is on vacation or a job where water is not accessible. Microorganisms prevail everywhere so sanitizers can avert illness by annihilating most of the germs that everyone gets from getting intact with the surfaces around. It is a handy backup when we don't have water and soap around.

Can It Kill All Germs?

Hand sanitizers have to be more than 60% alcohol-based otherwise it will not work. Although it can kill most microbes but not all of them that can be harmful to health like:

1. Cryptosporidium infections which cause gastrointestinal and breathing problems;
2. Clostridium difficile that upsets the intestines and causes inflammation;
3. Norovirus causes diarrhea;
4. Giardia parasite that can result in diarrheal infection.

Hand Sanitizer vs Hand Washing

Water and soap is a useful option to maintain hygiene than relying on hand sanitizers only, as all professionals suggest to wash hands for a minimum of 20 seconds. Water can cleanse the germs from our skin while using hand sanitizers can kill them but can not wipe out them from our hands. Sanitizers can only fight against germs but cannot combat dirt and grease which soaps or hand wash can do much better because they can clean oil and microbes thoroughly without letting them remain on your skin. Soaps are a better solution than sanitizers and there is no difference between using a plain soap or antibacterial soap as they are equally effective in keeping germs away from our hands as compared to sanitizers.

Conclusion

It is proven through research that sanitizers are not capable of eradicating all germs but they can improve protection from many diseases when we cannot wash hands. Nevertheless it is not 100% of protection, that is why we need to wash our hands as soon as we find water and soap.