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The first thing you do after coming home from outdoors or touching something dirty is wash your hands. But what if there is no hand wash or water available? The second best option that doctors recommend is to keep a sanitizer handy. Sanitizing your hand is said to remove the germs and bacteria from the hands. However, how true does this stand? Is sanitizing your hand enough?
Another point that arises is, should one prefer using hand sanitizer it with soap and hand wash? If not, then during these trying times of Covid-19 outbreak, wouldn’t washing your hands regularly with soap and hand wash damage the skin? If yes, how far can sanitizers protect someone from a fatal virus-like Covid-19?
There are so many questions related to hand sanitizer that it becomes all the more important to address this question- Do hand sanitizers really work?
What Does it Contain?
The purpose of hand sanitizers is to remove common disease-causing pathogens from the hands or any surface it is used on. These are employed as a tool for infection control in a wide range of settings- schools, hospitals, daycare centers, health care clinics, and general public places on a regular basis.
Sanitizers can be classified into two categories based on the active ingredient present in the product- alcohol-based and alcohol-free. The alcohol-based hand sanitizers generally contain 60% to 95% alcohol, typically in the form of ethanol, isopropanol, or n- propanol. Alcohol transmutes the protein and constructively neutralizes certain types of microorganisms.
Another type of sanitizer i.e., the non-alcohol products are basically based on disinfectants such as benzalkonium chloride (BAC), or on antimicrobial agents, such as triclosan. The maneuver of both these agents is almost spontaneous and persistent. There are a few other sanitizers which contain emollients such as glycerin to soothe the skin, for fragrance, and also as a thickening agent.
Effectiveness of Sanitizers
The history of alcohol shows that it is one of the effective disinfectants to kill bacteria and viruses. So, as long as the product has sufficient alcohol, it has a chance of protecting you against disease causing bacteria.
Research and doctors have effectively established that sanitizers are a practical backup if you do not have access and soap in your immediate surroundings. However, it is imperative to say that they are not as effective as washing your hands with soap and water.
Also, sanitizers can expire after a certain due date. Also, they can be ineffective because barely anyone knows the proper technique and diligence that is required to use them. People don’t know the sufficient amount that is required to spread on the hands for its effective result. Hand sanitizers are capable of killing microbes but not all of them.
Some Microbes are Resistant to Sanitizers
As stated, sanitizers can kill most of the microbes but some are still resistant towards them. Here is a list of few germs that the sanitizers cannot protect you against:
- Cryptosporidium: It is a microscopic parasite that can cause breathing and gastrointestinal issues. The disease is commonly known as “crypto” and some strands of the virus infects both human and animal.
- Norovirus: It is the most contagious virus that causes vomiting and diarrhea. You may get it if you’re in immediate contact of any infected person or consume contaminated food or water.
- Clostridium difficile: This bacteria causes inflammation of the normal healthy colon. They can be transferred from person to person from spores and are fatal for the colon. Stomach ache, fever, and diarrhea are common symptoms.
More Effective on Inanimate Surface
Another major concern regarding the use of sanitizers is that it works effectively only on inanimate surfaces. Many companies claim that their product kills 99.9% of germs. However, they forget to mention how and where it can be used for effective results.
Uneven Usage
Hand sanitizers work on your skin by removing the outer layer of oil from the skin surface. Hence, insufficient amounts of sanitizers, or irregular and uneven application on the hand will not kill all the germs that are present on your hand.
Does not Work on Dirty Hands
If your hands are actually dirty and greasy with oil or any other substance, it is likely that the sanitizers won’t be very effective on your hands. Moreover, if you use non-alcohol sanitizer, it is even more ineffective on your skin in this situation.
How Useful Can Sanitizers Be?
Even if the sanitizers have certain limitations, it can be useful to keep your surroundings clean. As it happens, it works very well on inanimate surfaces. Hence, tables, chairs, beds, curtains etc can easily be kept germ free using these sanitizers. Especially now when the world is going through the Covid-19 outbreak.
They are especially useful in the hospitals and health care clinics where one is under constant threat of getting infected. Constant sanitization and disinfection can keep the hospital surrounding safe from harmful germs and bacterias.
They are perfect for convenient cleaning. Once in a while you can spare your skin from washing with soap and use sanitizers with proper diligence. This will prevent you from getting infected from the normal germs that are present on your hands.
How to Use Sanitizers?
For the sanitizers to be 99.% effective you need to take the recommended amount of gel or liquid sanitizer on your hands. Then, rub your hands together properly, covering all the surface including your fingernails. Rub your hands thoroughly between your fingers and all over the surface of your hand for 30 seconds and let your hand absorb the sanitizer. Let the sanitizer completely dry off in the air.
The Bottomline
We can conclude that the effectiveness of the sanitizers depends on various factors. The ingredients, the amount used, and the manner of usage plays a primary role in its effectiveness.
Also, sanitizers are not effective for all kinds of disease causing germs and bacterias. Hence, washing your hands with hand wash and water still stands to be much more effective when it comes to preventing diseases and remaining healthy.
