Even though COVID-19 has brought our attention back to hand sanitizers, they have been there for a long time. Each little bottle of hand sanitizer provides you with an extra dose of confidence. This is especially true if you are going to a place you are not that sure of.
IT KILLS 99.9% OF GERMS
The primary purpose of using a hand sanitizer is for cleanliness. We are not talking about outward sanitation, either. A high-quality hand sanitizer kills 99.9% of the germs. Make sure that you read the label before buying your next bottle.
Within the right setup, a hand sanitizer can be your most helpful germ-busting companion. It can protect you from various illnesses and diseases, from something as straightforward as diarrhea or something more complicated as a pandemic.
IT IS PORTABLE
You can bring your bottle of hand sanitizer wherever you go. So, you can hike to and camp in the middle of nowhere without worrying about what water issues can do to your hygiene. Well, it does help up to a certain point. Hand sanitizer is not recommended for use on soiled hands.
Portability basically means having it available where you prefer to access it. Some schools, offices, and also clinics and hospitals have dispensers installed. No-pump sensor-based hand sanitizer dispensers are best for places where a huge number of people frequent. There is no need for people to touch what others have already touched.
IT IS MORE CONVENIENT
Because it is portable, you can get hold of your hand sanitizer bottle wherever you go. If you are not well, for example, you may prefer sanitizing while in bed. You don’t have to get up to the sink every time you need to cleanse your hands.
Hand sanitizer bottles are also usually designed so that one squirt will provide that one coin size requirement for cleaning hands. The effect of hand sanitizer gels is immediate. So, you don’t have to wait for several minutes to ensure that your hands are safe to touch your face.
IT DOES NOT DRY YOUR HANDS
Handwashing can dry your hands if you must do it several times daily. Sometimes, you just have to. However, if you change things up a bit, you have other options, such as using alcohol or alcohol hand sanitizer.
Alcohol can also be a strong drying agent. Usually, you are advised to use rubbing alcohol with at least 70% isopropyl alcohol. After all, 70% and higher assures you that most of the germs have been eliminated. However, that percentage makes the product harsh enough to strip your skin of its natural oils. Yes, your hands may be clean, but they start to feel rough as the days go by.
So, your better option is to go for hand sanitizer gels. Some of them are mixed with lotions that are formulated to keep your skin soft and smooth.
IT IS EASY TO SHARE
Because hand sanitizers are bottled, and there is no need for you to go to the bathroom to use them, they are easier to share. When resources are limited, you can all be in one room, with one person distributing pea-sized shares of the hand sanitizer. There is no need for any of you to splash anyone while at it.
BUT HOW DO YOU MAKE THE MOST OF A HAND SANITIZER’S EFFICACY?
Hand sanitizers are convenient, portable, and effective. However, they do have some limitations.
- Do not use them on anything that involves blood, soil, and dirt.
- Use those with 60% to 95% alcohol. Anything less will not be as effective.
- Perform the same 20-second hand ritual as with handwashing and make sure not to wipe the product off.