Penny ponders…
Should I be using a hand sanitizer?
The Left Brain Responds
Most hand sanitizers are alcohol thickened to a gel with color & fragrance added. This isn`t the kind of alcohol you`d find in your local tavern however, it is ethanol or isopropanol. These alcohols are used because they are not potable. This way people won`t be tempted to knock back a few bottles of hand sanitizer on a wild Friday night. Some formulas contain moisturizing ingredients which can offset the drying effects of the alcohol. The rest of the ingredients like vitamins and extracts are all marketing fluff that do not really do anything.
The way that these things work is simple, you put them on your hands and most living bacteria are instantly killed. The alcohol breaks their cell walls and all their critical organelles leak out. We say most are killed because there are some crafty buggers who can form spores that are immune to alcohol. That`s why companies can only claim to kill 99.9% of germs.
After a few moments, the alcohol evaporates and your hands are briefly sanitized. Of course, that`s when the bacteria population starts to build up again. Think of it like a car windshield when it`s raining. Your hands are the windshield, the rain is bacteria and the sanitizer is the wipers. Sure the wipers remove the rain on one pass, but the rain (or bacteria) just keep coming back.
These products probably work just like they say they will, although their claims are supported by measuring microbe populations on Petri dishes and not on human skin. There may be a difference. Unfortunately, there are no studies to show a reduction in overall sickness by the use of these products.
A better option is to wash your hands with soap and water because it will actually remove all the microbes. It also has the added benefit of removing non-microbial chemicals that can also make you sick.
Beauty Brains bottom line
Hand sanitizers do work but don`t kid yourself, they are no substitute for good ol` soap and water.
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{ 5 comments… read them below or add one }
Thank you for giving us alternatives to the alcohol-based hand sanitizers out there. As a former teacher, I used purell in my classroom like it was going out of style. Then I began to read about all of the concerns linked with the alcohol and hoped for something better in way of hand sanitizers. That’s when my husband and I found a new technology and started this company called Prefense. We are just getting off the ground and hoping to spread word to moms and moms to be out there. Prefense is unlike any other hand sanitizer on the market, it lasts 24 hours with just one application, it is FDA approved, and it kills bacteria, viruses and fungi on contact. The best news is it is 100% safe for kids and infants, and 100% ALCOHOL FREE!!! So, spread the word and feel free to ask me any questions! Our website is http://www.prefense.com
“A better option is to wash your hands with soap and water because it will actually remove all the microbes. It also has the added benefit of removing non-microbial chemicals that can also make you sick.”
This is simply not true! Soap doesnt remove nearly as much bacteria as alcohol does. It is not a way to make your hands sterile (as implied). Soap rinses away dirt and fatty compounds but bacteria survives a normal cleansing with soap. And dont forget viruses for that matter…
Dont get me wrong though, soap is enough for the avarage person not performing medical exams or surgeries. But saying it removes all microbes is just a lie which i cant let you get away with.
@Microbiologist – Thanks for your comments. It’s not a lie but perhaps an oversimplification. Certainly, for people doing medical exams and surgeries more sanitization will be necessary.
In the absence of soap and water I use an Anti-Viral Hand Sanitizer as H1N1 Influenza A is a virus (swine flu) these are the only kind that are effective against swine flu. I have just started to use a product called Mentholatum responsebeta it was the only Anti-Viral product on the shelf at Boots. Prevention is better than cure I guess. Had no horrible alcohol smell..bonus! It is suitable from children over 1 year old.