Wash hands with water and soap or hand sanitizer

Washing hands is now easier with the presence of various practical hand sanitizer products. However, these products cannot always replace the role of water and soap in disinfecting hands. Know when you can use a hand sanitizer or really need to wash your hands with soap and water. Hand sanitizer contains ethyl alcohol which functions like an antiseptic. According to research, germs on the hands are more effectively eradicated by hand sanitizers which have an alcohol content of 60-95%.

Soap or Hand Sanitizer?

Although it has ingredients that can help eradicate germs, you are not recommended to use a hand sanitizer if the condition of the hands is very dirty and oily, such as after eating, gardening, or exercising. There is a possibility that hand sanitizer cannot work optimally on hands that are too dirty. Washing hands with soap and water by rubbing them for 30 seconds is preferred for very dirty hands. You can use a hand sanitizer after washing your hands thoroughly with water and soap to ensure that the germs on your hands are completely gone. It is recommended to use a hand sanitizer with an alcohol content of at least 60% to effectively disinfect. Non alcoholic hand sanitizer products may not be effective in driving out certain types of germs, it can even make germs resistant to substances present in hand sanitizers, and may cause irritation to the skin.

How to Use Hand Sanitizer Correctly

In addition to washing hands, actually hand sanitizers can still be beneficial to maintain cleanliness. The performance of a hand sanitizer is effective if used correctly. Here are the ways to use the hand santizer correctly:

• Remove the jewelry from the hand before using the hand sanitizer.
• Pour enough liquid hand sanitizer into one palm of your hand.
• Then rub into your other palm.
• Flatten all surfaces of the hands and fingers until they dry.
• If your hands are very dirty, first wash with soap and water, then you can use a hand sanitizer.

You can clean your hands with a hand sanitizer before preparing food, before eating, cleaning wounds, or touching a sick person. Reuse after preparing food, especially raw meat, after using the toilet, sneezing, coughing, cleaning wounds, touching sick people, changing diapers, holding trash, and other dirty objects. Be careful with the use of hand sanitizers in children. Do not let children use their own hand sanitizer because there is a risk of swallowing. Moreover, hand sanitizers are often produced with a variety of scents (such as vanilla, strawberries, or gum) and colors. If swallowed, children can get alcohol poisoned. Characterized by symptoms such as drowsiness, dizziness, vomiting, decrease in blood pressure, heart rate and breathing rhythm. Blood sugar can also drop dramatically when ingesting alcohol, which triggers convulsions and coma. Washing hands with soap and water is preferred, but you can use a hand sanitizer to clean hands that do not look dirty or if water and soap are not available.