These 3 Mistakes Can Render Hand Sanitizer Ineffective
The use of hand sanitizer has increased
greatly in recent months, as it is the best way to keep our hands clean
on the go when soap and water are not readily available. Keeping the
hands clean is key in the protection against the novel coronavirus, and
having a bottle of alcohol-based hand sanitizer is great. However,
squirting some on your hands and giving them a quick wipe may not be
enough. For the sanitizer to be as effective as possible, it is
important to make sure it’s up to the CDC standard (contains at least
60% alcohol), isn’t expired, and that you avoid the following mistakes
when using it.
1. Not using enough
According to the CDC, the proper amount of
hand sanitizer should cover the entire surface of your hands. Not
putting enough sanitizer on your palm is the most common mistake people
make. If you’re worried about using too much, you can rest assured it
doesn’t hold any risks. According to health experts, using too much is
better than using too little. Make sure you get both sides of your
fingertips, between the fingers and the outsides of your thumbs. For
your convenience, there is an infographic with the proper instructions
at the bottom of the page.
2. Not waiting for the sanitizer to dry
The time that the sanitizer is on your
hands before it dries is the time it’s working to inactivate certain
bacteria and viruses. The CDC says you should rub your hands together
for about 20 seconds until they feel dry. If you don’t do so, you can
end up wiping the sanitizer off on something you touch, and thus prevent
it from doing its job and render it ineffective.
3. You rely solely on hand sanitizer
As mentioned earlier, hand sanitizer is a
great resource when water and soap are inaccessible. If possible,
washing your hands is proven to be the most effective way to annihilate
germs. Moreover, if there is grease or dirt on your hands from handling
food or playing sports, for example, hand sanitizer simply will not do
the trick. “If there is dirt covering part of your hand, hand sanitizer
cannot really effectively get to the surface of your hand,” said Dr.
Zeke J. McKinney in a statement to Huffington Post. “People think hand
sanitizer is a reasonable replacement for washing your hands, but it
definitely is not”.
Recognize that using hand sanitizer properly is an effective way to slow
the potential spread of the coronavirus, but it should not be the only
preventative measure you are taking.
Step by step guide to applying hand sanitizer correctly:
