You know you need to keep your hands clean. As much as your hands serve you, they also put germs in contact with your mouth, eyes, nose, and many other parts of your body. We hope you’re already washing your hands with soap and warm water multiple times a day, as that is the best way to clean them, but another worthy alternative is hand sanitizer.
According to studies, 1 in 5 people don’t regularly wash their hands. Of those who do, 70% don’t use soap. Providing hand sanitizer in key areas (including bathrooms and kitchens) makes it more likely that people will use it to kill harmful bacteria. Alcohol-based sanitizers can reduce about 99% of the bacteria on your hands.
Benefits
- Hand sanitizers are convenient, portable, easy to use and not time consuming.
- Several studies have concluded that the risk of spreading gastrointestinal (stomach) and respiratory infection is decreased among families who use hand sanitizer.
- Commercially prepared hand sanitizers contain ingredients that help prevent skin dryness. Using these products can result in less skin dryness and irritation than hand-washing.
- Studies show that adding hand sanitizers to classrooms can reduce student absenteeism due to illness by 20 per cent. What’s more, many kids think instant hand sanitizers are fun to use.
30 seconds of using hand sanitizer kills a much bacteria as two full minutes of handwashing. When used correctly, sanitizer can be insanely good at preventing a cold or the flu. The more alcohol it contains and the more often you use it, the less harmful bacteria will be on your hands. Most commercial sanitizers are 99.9 percent effective at killing germs.
Soap is not nearly as effective (especially when used improperly), and it can only be used when water is available. More abrasive varieties of soap can also damage the skin unless used in combination with a moisturizer. Although once perceived as a skin irritant because of its alcohol content, many sanitizers are now available with moisturizers built in to prevent dryness.
There are many benefits of hand sanitizer, from fighting germs efficiently to fighting them conveniently (and even improving your skin). Without a doubt, using this germ-fighting product regularly throughout the day will boost your cleanliness and your health no matter where life takes you.