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Is it really good to wash your hands with hand sanitizer?
Is it really good to wash your hands with hand sanitizer?,
Is using hand sanitizer just as good as washing your hands?
Is it really good to wash your hands with hand sanitizer?From childhood, our parents have taught us to wash our hands
frequently, and that good hygiene is very important to prevent bacterially
infection.
In recent years, hand sanitizer has gradually replaced soap because
of its convenience and hygiene. However, you have not thought that excessive
use of hand sanitizer will also bring stimulation to human health.
Some experts pointed out that it is necessary to set up hand
sanitizer in public places such as hospitals, which are often exposed to
pathogenic microorganisms. Especially in the peak season of the respiratory virus,
which is from November to April. Soap is enough for daily use.
Soap has the same bactericidal effect as hand sanitizer.
1. Kill specific bacteria
Soap and hand sanitizer can kill some pathogenic microorganisms,
such as bacteria that can cause diarrhea, enteritis, abdominal pain, abdominal
distention and other side effects.
2. Remove dirt and grease
Dirt and grease can be removed from your hands after hiking,
camping, or cooking.
3. Remove pesticides and chemicals
A study in Washington assessed pesticide exposure among the orchard
workers and children at home. The results showed that the cleaning effect of
hand sanitizer for high concentration pesticides was far better than that of
soap.
If you don't have soap and clean water in your area, the Centers
for Disease Control and Prevention recommends using alcohol to clean your
hands. Alcohol is also an effective bacterial killer.
In addition, experts listed some harmful substances and
ingredients in hand sanitizer.
1. chlorhexidine
The preservatives and antibacterial agents contained in hand
sanitizer are called chlorhexidine. Abuse can lead to drug resistance and
mutation of bacteria. If the concentration of chlorhexidine is more than 4%,
contact dermatitis can also be caused.
2. Triclosan
Triclosan is an ingredient found in hand sanitizers, toothpaste, and other personal care products as an antibacterial agent. Some studies have
shown that it does more harm than good. Like chlorhexidine, it's a known
ingredient that causes microbial resistance. Triclosan is associated with
hormonal disorders in animal studies. This means it affects the brain, immune
system, and reproductive system, leading to obesity, puberty, infertility, and
cancer. Other studies have shown that it can damage learning and memory, aggravate
allergies, and weaken muscle strength.
3. Alcohol (for children)
Children should be kept away from alcohol-containing hand
disinfectants. These hand sanitizers usually smell like candy, and if your
child mistook them for food, it's bad. They also contain 40 to 95 percent
alcohol, which is higher than spirits, almost six times as much as wine.
Alcoholism can cause some mild effects, such as confusion, vomiting, and
drowsiness. In the worst case, it can also cause a respiratory arrest or even
death.
Despite these reasons, many people choose hand sanitizers to
prevent potentially life-threatening, incurable infections, such as
Staphylococcus aureus. Some people are afraid that they will use a lot of hand
sanitizer if they don't wash their hands thoroughly. It's also very dangerous
to rub hard when washing.
A large amount of hand sanitizer rubs hard, which may damage the
skin and make the bacteria easier to invade. So just use one drop at a time. If
you can't master the quantity well, you can tie a few circles of leather under
the pressing mouth of the hand sanitizer, which can prevent you from pressing
the hand sanitizer to the bottom and squeezing out too much hand sanitizer. It
is safe and economical. After washing your hands with hand sanitizer, your hands
will be dry. You'd better apply some moisturizing hand cream to protect your
hands.
Which is the
best bactericidal effect for the hand sanitizer and soap of coronavirus
At present, during the epidemic, experts encourage us to wash our
hands frequently, and it is better to use hand sanitizer or soap and other products
to wash our hands. Many people have questions about whether it is better to use
hand sanitizer or soap?
It is believed that most people choose hand sanitizer because it
is convenient to use, can sterilize, and has the function of moistening skin.
But a recent article in Canadian life magazine pointed out that hand sanitizer
can't replace soap.
The main purpose of handwashing is to remove dirt, sterilize and
disinfect, while hand sanitizer can only meet its bactericidal effect, because
most hand sanitizer contains alcohol, and alcohol cannot effectively remove
some dirt attached to small cracks in the skin, such as dust, mud, blood
stains, etc., so once the hands are stained with such dirt, it is not enough to
only use hand sanitizer. It can be seen that the premise of using hand
sanitizer is to remove the dirt first. Therefore, in this case, soap should be
used to wash hands, rather than just using hand sanitizer. In fact, going to
the hospital will find that many doctors use soap to wash their hands, not
because the price of soap is cheap.
Which disinfectant effect is good between hand sanitizer and soap? Which is good between coronavirus hand sanitizer and soap?
Of course, not all hand sanitizers contain the same ingredients.
If the alcohol content in the hand sanitizer is less than 60%, the bactericidal
effect will be greatly reduced. If you use this kind of hand sanitizer to wash
your hands, it has no effect. When purchasing hand sanitizer, pay attention to
check the content of effective ingredients marked on the label of the product. Some hand sanitizers will be marked with alcohol, p-aminobenzoic acid, and
isopropanol instead of alcohol. It needs to be confirmed that no matter which
forms the label is in, its content should be between 60% and 95%. If the content
is less than 60%, it cannot effectively kill viruses and bacteria. However, the
higher the alcohol content, the better. If the alcohol content is higher than
95% or pure alcohol, the bactericidal effect will be inhibited.
Hand sanitizer can only be used as a backup of soap. The best way
to wash hands is to wash hands with soap to remove dirt, and then use hand
sanitizer to sterilize and moisturize skin. When using hand sanitizer, it is
not more beneficial. It is enough to press a drop every time. After repeatedly
scrubbing the hand, wash it with flowing water for more than 15 seconds, so
that the hand sanitizer can be thoroughly cleaned. Although many hand
sanitizers contain skincare ingredients, if you wash your hands frequently in
dry winter, it will still cause dry skin on your hands. Therefore, you should
apply special moisturizing hand cream after washing your hands.
Hand sanitizer is specially used for hand washing, so it may be
better to use hand sanitizer in disinfection.
The top 100 thousand hand
sanitizers can't kill the new coronavirus, only one is really useful
A sudden epidemic has made ordinary masks a scarce resource, and
all kinds of disinfection products are almost out of stock, such as alcohol, 84
disinfectant, as well as the essential artifact for going to work on the subway
and reworking on the train - wash free hand sanitizer.
Under the epidemic situation, endless business opportunities have
been generated. All kinds of hand sanitizers have started to be labeled as
"defeat the epidemic, disinfect and sterilize". With the hype, sales
of hand sanitizers have naturally increased all the way.
The editor searched on an e-commerce website with the keyword of
"wash free hand sanitizer". As expected, the monthly sales volume of
most products has doubled several times compared with the usual, and many of
them have even reached more.
However, a closer look at the ingredients found that many of the
best-selling hand sanitizers are not all effective against the new coronavirus.
Today, let's see which hand sanitizers are invalid and which ones
are really recommended. Before you rush to place an order for payment, you need
to polish your eyes.
For many people, the word "plant extract" has almost
become a synonym for natural health, safety, and effectiveness.
In the vast market of hand sanitizer, there are many people who
take it as a propaganda point. Coconut oil extract, calendula extract, purslane
extract... A wide variety.
However, some hand sanitizer products based on plant extracts also
claim to be resistant to new coronavirus.
So far, however, there is no specific drug for the prevention and
treatment of the new coronavirus.
The official recommended killing ingredients have not been found
in any plant extracts.
The main component is chlorhexidine
Chlorhexidine, also known as chlorhexidine, is a kind of low-efficiency disinfectant. Because of its good germicidal effect, it also has a
place in the field of sterilization.
But in this outbreak, chlorhexidine is an invalid ingredient
officially sealed.
Hand sanitizer with alcohol content less than 60%
Can't kill new coronavirus effectively, not recommended.
There are also some products whose trade name is alcohol, but the alcohol content is not high.
For example, if you look at the package carefully, the alcohol
concentration is only 28% - 34%, less than half of the regular hand sanitizer.
Such hands-free hand sanitizer can't be used normally to have a
good disinfection effect, and it's not enough to eliminate the coronavirus.
Alcohol concentration during an epidemic 60% - 80% hand sanitizer
In terms of ingredients, hand sanitizer can be roughly divided
into alcohol (ethanol) and non-alcohol.
The novel coronavirus, which has a coating on the structure, can
be damaged by alcohol. Therefore, it is recommended that the alcohol-free hand
washing liquid be made of alcohol.
However, as we said before, alcohol alone is not enough. It
depends on the concentration.
The novel coronavirus pneumonia diagnosis and treatment plan
(trial version sixth) mentioned: 75% of ethanol can effectively inactivate the
virus.
But that doesn't mean 75% alcohol is necessary. According to the
recommendation of the World Health Organization (who), 60% - 80% of alcohol
concentration can be selected. If the concentration is too high (90% or even
95%), the effect will not be good. You can focus on the packaging when you are
buying, basically, the alcohol content will be marked.
In addition, the following two points should be paid attention to
when using hand sanitizer.
1. Keep it out of children's reach to avoid eating by mistake
The concentration of alcohol-free hand sanitizer is basically very
high. Children can be "drunk" by knocking two small bottles of
alcohol hand sanitizer. In serious cases, alcohol poisoning must be properly
kept by parents.
2. Use correctly and give full play to the protective effect
According to the product manual, the reasonable dosage is just the
size of 1 yuan coin (about 24 mm in diameter); rub your hands until the hands
are dry, about 30 seconds; pay attention to fully cover the finger joints,
fingertips and other parts.
It is undeniable that hand sanitizer is indeed convenient for our
life, but we still need to emphasize that:
Hand sanitizer can not replace conventional soap/hand sanitizer
+ running water cleaning.
Although hand sanitizer can disinfect, it can't decontaminate.
When there is organic dirt or especially dirty hands, the effect of alcohol is
not as good as that of water washing.
While the method of water + Soap/hand sanitizer can't directly
sterilize, as long as washing hands according to the correct process, most
bacteria and viruses will also leave the skin surface with the soap sanitizer
and wash away with the water.
Therefore, it's OK to use the hand sanitizer in an emergency, but
after using it, you still need to wash it off when you have the conditions to
wash your hands.
In the case of running water, wash your hands with water.
Foam wash
liquid and ordinary hand washing liquid which is good? 3 steps to wash hands.
We need to wash our hands every day. Our hands are the most
accessible part of bacteria. So we should wash our hands with handwashing
products. Water is not able to wash out stubborn bacteria, but there are many
kinds of hand sanitizers. Let's take a look at the foam washing liquid and hand
washing liquid in the next 5 net.
Which is better for foam hand sanitizers and hand sanitizers?
There are many forms of hand sanitizer, the most common being
liquid. In recent years, there are much new foam state and gel state hand
washing liquid, which enriches the market demand.
(a) Liquid type
Liquid hand sanitizer is the most basic type, which has the
advantage of strong cleaning power and can effectively inhibit the growth of
bacteria. But compared with other hand sanitizers, washing time is slower.
Liquid hand sanitizers need to be rubbed to produce foam. When they are used,
they must cooperate with the water to completely release the cleaning power and
have the ability to deal with complex stains well.
(b) foam type
Foam hand sanitizers are usually equipped with a special pump
head, which is a foam state when extruded. Compared with the liquid hand
sanitizer, the foaming action is omitted, and the washing is more economical,
but the cleaning power is slightly weaker. Because of the larger density, the
adhesion to the stubborn stains will be slightly worse. So when we use it, we
need to squeeze enough volume so that the foam will completely cover both
hands, so that we can achieve the desired result.
(c) Gel type
Because of the larger density, the adhesion to the stubborn stains
will be slightly worse. So when we use it, we need to squeeze enough volume so
that the foam will completely cover both hands, so that we can achieve the
desired result. Gel-like hand sanitizer is very suitable for carrying out, no
need to wash, easy to clean. In order to achieve the volatile effect, most of
the gel-like hand sanitizers on the market contain alcohol. People who are
allergic to alcohol can choose conventional hand sanitizer.
How to choose the right-hand sanitizer
1. Select by efficacy
Hand sanitizer not only cleans the hands but also has some skincare effects. Can take care of our hand skin in an all-round way.
(a) Moisturizing
Moisturizing hand sanitizer is less alkaline and will not take
away water from hands after cleaning. It can effectively protect hands and keep
them clean and mild. Moisturizing hand sanitizer is very suitable for use in
winter. The climate is dry in winter, and the hand will dry up if you don't pay
attention to it. Moisturizing hand sanitizer can effectively lock in moisture.
(b) Antibacterial
Antibacterial hand sanitizer can change the permeability of
bacterial cell wall and make bacteria suffocate and die through the
biodegradable components in the ingredients, so as to achieve the effect of
eliminating bacteria. The active ingredients of antibacterial hand sanitizer
can ensure that the skin will not be damaged when the fungus is killed, and it
is antibacterial and anti-inflammatory.
2. Select the fragrance
In addition to form and efficacy, hand sanitizer also has many
fragrances. The different fragrances of hand sanitizer will bring different
experiences and affect people's moods.
(a) Aloe flavor
Aloe Vera scent comes mostly from Aloe Vera essence in hand
sanitizer. It also gives off the fragrance of Aloe Vera when it is sterilized
and moisturizing. Aloe, as a kind of plant, its fragrance tends to be
herbaceous. The fragrance it sends out will not be too rich, will not stimulate
the nasal cavity, and will not be burdened by the elderly, children, or rhinitis
patients.
(b) Lemon flavor
The lemon flavor is the freshest fruit flavor, not too sweet and
greasy. Hands are clean and refreshing. Lemon Hand Sanitizer is very suitable
for home use. The fresh lemon fragrance is suitable for all ages. It is mild
and non-irritating, giving people a moist and cool experience.
Can hand sanitizer replace handwashing?
No. It's easy to explain this problem. Hand sanitizer can only
have a certain bactericidal effect, but it can't decontaminate, so using hand
sanitizer can't completely replace hand sanitizer. Specifically speaking, the
wash free hand sanitizer is basically alcohol as the main bactericidal
component, which can kill most viruses, pathogenic bacteria, etc., and maintain
the bacteriostatic effect in a certain period of time. But there's really nothing
you can do about the dirt on your hands - no matter how much you use, it's
still on your hands.
Can hand sanitizer be used in public places?
Be careful when using hand sanitizer in public places. The hand
sanitizer itself is rich in nutrients. If the time is too long or the change is
not timely, it is easy to cause the growth and reproduction of microorganisms.
At this time, there will be blistering, stratification, oil-water separation,
and odor. Such hand sanitizer will pollute hands and attract germs. Therefore,
before using hand sanitizer in public places, check whether the surface of the
hand sanitizer box is clean, if the ash layer and dirt fall, do not use it.
At the same time, if the box does not change for a long time, it will also be easy
to accumulate bacteria for a long time. Therefore, it is recommended to clean
the hand sanitizer box regularly. Although hand sanitizer is provided free in
many public places, there are often many inferior products that do not meet the
standards, so it is recommended to avoid using the outside hand sanitizer as
much as possible, and it is better to carry the disinfectant paper towel to
eliminate its poison.
Important details of hand washing
Just
flushing is about not washing your hands! Many people ignore the important
details of hand washing
During the epidemic, many people have known that frequent hand
washing is the simplest, most effective, and most economical way to prevent
infection.
But many people wash their hands, and they can't really reduce the threat of bacterial viruses.
If you also ignore the key factor of handwashing time, it is
likely that your hands will be washed in vain.
How long does it take to wash your hands?
If you think about it a little bit, you can see that the time
needed to wash your hands is related to too many factors. First of all, how
dirty your hands are.
Because although everyone has the same hands, they are not dirty
and how dirty they are.
If the hands are covered with lard, it will take a lot longer to
wash hands than if the hands are covered with a little mud;
A doctor who is about to go to the operating table must wash his
hands longer than usual to ensure that the pathogens on his hands fall to a
safe range;
Washing hands with water alone will definitely take longer than
washing hands with soap to achieve the same level of cleanliness.
Therefore, the time needed for handwashing is closely related to
the type and quantity of stains on hands, the cleaning ability of detergent,
the method and speed of hand rubbing, the risks faced by everyone, and other
factors.
At present, many authorities (such as the Centers for Disease
Control and the Canadian Public Health Bureau) recommend that you wash your
hands with soap or hand sanitizer for at least 20 seconds, while the World
Health Organization recommends that you wash your hands with soap or hand
sanitizer for 40 to 60 seconds.
There is also a more intuitive suggestion:
After singing the happy birthday song twice and washing your hands
at the same time, the time is up to the standard.
Why must it take so long? There are two reasons. The first one is........
You will be lazy!
In 2011, a British research team conducted a comparative experiment of hand washing, in which the subjects were randomly asked to take a
bus or visit a museum, and then divided into three categories:
Wash hands with ordinary soap or hand sanitizer. Wash hands only
with water, not with hand sanitizer.
In this way, the researchers asked each participant to repeat the
test 24 times without any guidance and the results showed that:
Even under supervision, the average time for participants to wash
their hands with soap are only 14 seconds, while the average time for
participants to wash their hands with water is only 12 seconds, far less than
the time recommended by major institutions.
If you pay attention, in normal life, when there is no
supervision, more people feel washed in five or six seconds.
After the baptism of this epidemic situation, let's not save these
tens of seconds or even seconds
Back to hand washing, although using soap or hand sanitizer will
prolong the time of hand washing, if the time of washing is not enough, can it
effectively remove the bacterial virus?
That leads to the second reason.......
Wash with soap or hand sanitizer for 20 seconds
Bacteria can be reduced effectively
Daily mail once reported an experiment that perfectly showed the
effect of handwashing at different washing times.
They came up with a product that mimics bacteria, Glo germ, and
they put it all over their hands. Glo germs will glow under ultraviolet
radiation. Take photos after washing your hands. The brighter the hands are,
the dirtier the hands are. The darker the hands are, the cleaner the hands are.
The results are as shown in the figure below. It is obvious that
if the time of hand washing is too short (for example, the time of hand washing
is less than 15 seconds), only flushing water without soap or hand sanitizer,
the luminous bacteria will be eaten into the stomach and touched into the nose.
Washing your hands is not a fake. Use soap for 20 seconds.
Remember. (soap or hand sanitizer)
In addition to time, there are two points to be noted
Having said so much, we know that when washing hands, the time of
rubbing with soap solution is too short to effectively reduce the number of
microorganisms on hands.
20 seconds is not a hard rule, but it is more reliable for daily
use. Just 20 seconds can not only ensure that the number of pathogens on the
hand is reduced to a low enough level, but also minimize the damage to the
skin.
In addition, there are two things to note:
1. Without soap or hand sanitizer, simply flushing water is equal
to whitewashing
Students at discovery elementary school in Iowa, USA, have done a
very intuitive experiment. They touch the fresh bread with different hands and
then put the bread into the plastic bag. After a period of time, they observe
the deterioration of the bread caused by bacterial reproduction.
The results are as follows:
Number 2, first piece of bread, untouched
No. 3, the second piece of bread, unwashed hand touch
No. 4, the third piece of bread, soap, or hand sanitizer
No. 5, the fourth piece of bread, a hand touched by ordinary no
washing disinfectant
No. 1, the fifth piece of bread, wiped the keyboard of the school
laptop
As a result, the bread rubbed by unwashed hands (No. 3) and laptop
keyboard (No. 1) grew large "green hairs" It's terrible not to wash
your hands! No. 5 bread has been washed my hands without washing disinfectant.
Although it looks clean, it also grows a small piece of mildew. Comparison of 4
(soap washing) and 5 (hand sanitizer) shows that general hand sanitizer cannot
replace soap or hand sanitizer. It is better to use a hand sanitizer quietly as a spare tire.
As long as possible, we should stick to using soap or hand
sanitizer to wash under running water.
2. Turn off the faucet + dry your hands. Don't be a shake hands
shopkeeper
After rubbing and washing, there are two important steps: dry your
hands and turn off the tap.
Don't underestimate these two steps. If you don't do it well, your
hands will be infected with bacteria and viruses again. The previous handwashing has become a waste of effort.
This is because wet hands can not only bring bacteria and viruses
to other places through falling water drops but also provide a more friendly
environment for bacteria to reproduce.
And dry your hands, not only to wipe off the water, some bacteria
and viruses that leak out of the net can also be separated from your hands.
It is precisely for this reason that the towel is not recommended for
hand cleaning, let alone wet towel, because once repeatedly used, it will not
be clean, it is more recommended to dry disposable paper towel gently.
In the same way, when turning off the faucet, don't touch it with
your hand directly. It's recommended to turn off it with disposable tissue.
If there is no disposable tissue, the next way is to turn off the
tap with your wrist or elbow.
Finally, let me tell you to hand washing tips It is said that everyone who looks good can easily wash for 20 seconds.
WHO: How to handwash? With soap and water
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