Soap and water used correctly is the best defence against COVID-19, they’re against coronavirus with ease, along with washing away a wide variety of chemicals, viruses and germs. Sometimes though, instead of going to the soap and water, you may choose hand sanitizer.
Hand sanitizer works in a variety of ways to fight COVID-19. For choosing right kind of hand sanitizer, Ensure it contains at least 60% alcohol.
Why is alcohol so important to sanitizers for COVID-19 – well, the answer’s simple. We are still learning about how COVID-19 works but we do know sanitizers with an alcohol concentration between 60-95% are better at killing germs than sanitizers with lower alcohol concentrations.
Furthermore, evidence around coronavirus shows that alcohol-free sanitizers or low-alcohol sanitizers may not work, reducing the growth of the virus but not killing it outright.
When you use sanitizer, it will attack microbes on the hands. It does not eliminate all germs, unfortunately. This is why soap and water and hand washing are considered more effective in attacking coronavirus and protecting one’s self.
But this doesn’t mean sanitizers don’t have a place. Alcohol-containing hand sanitizers work well. The difficulty is some people don’t purchase their sanitizer with alcohol, they don’t use enough in quantity, or it is wiped off before it dries. Another side is if you use hand sanitizer too often, it is happening you feel your hands getting too dry. You may notice that almost all brands of hand sanitizer gel have this issue. In hand sanitizer marketing in Canada we hardly find hand sanitizer with moisturizer formula: 3M Avagard Hand Antiseptic with Moisturizer is one of them, but since the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020, almost all 3M product line are out of stock for every distributor. Another new launched hand sanitizer is Divine Essence Hand Sanitizer-Ravintsara is one of the better hand sanitizers in Canada. They use a concentration of 70% ethyl alcohol and 15 of essential oils. Enriched with glycerin to soften your hands. This hand sanitizer can be used for children 2-year-old or over. Safe and small enough to bring with you in your pocket wherever you go.
If you don’t like a spray, IC-GEL, Antiseptic Skin Gel is a choice. This disinfecting skin gel is also made with 70% alcohol. It meets and exceeds all guidelines for hand hygiene.
When you don’t want to use sanitizer is when your hands are greasy or very dirty. A sanitizer will not work well when hands aren’t fully cleaned. In environments like hospitals and healthcare clinics, sanitizer is a great solution for people who are coming into contact with germs. In many cases, people in these settings will be using both sanitizer and hand washing intermittently throughout the day.
Most experts will tell you, hand sanitizer is better than nothing. Even if you’re in a situation where soap and water would be preferred, if it’s not available, alcohol-based sanitizer is the next best thing.
How to use hand sanitizer is to apply a little bit to your palm. Rub it all over the surfaces of your hands, back and front. Rub it until your hands are fully dry. This will ensure the sanitizer’s done everything it’s supposed to. Let it dry.
It can be tough knowing what to use against COVID-19, and what works and what doesn’t. If instructions aren’t followed properly, any sanitizer, soap and water, or disinfectant is rendered useless. That’s the thing to remember. If you’re using soap and water, cover your hands and thoroughly scrub them down. If you’re using alcohol-based hand sanitizer, rub your hands thoroughly until they are dry. THAT’s how to get it done!