What about those alcohol based, no-towel-needed, hand sanitizers? I wonder… do they manage to clean your hands better, worse or essentially the same as a typical warm soap and water hand washing?
I love using the stuff 'cuz I’m a bit of a clean freak when out in public… but I wonder sometimes whether they are really killing germs and cleaning my hands effectively.
Anybody an authority on this sort of thing??
Well, here’s one finding:
http://biology.about.com/science/biology/gi/dynamic/offsite.htm?site=http://news.uns.purdue.edu/UNS/html4ever/000211.Almanza.sanitizers.html
I think they are okay for use in “emergencies,” but I wouldn’t rely on them. I don’t actually worry about it much–a quick wash after using the restroom and when I get home from shopping, etc. does. The one exception is washing the kids hands after we go to a place where there are lots of other kids around–I’m a stickler for that and I do use a sanitizer if there’s not available soap and water at those times.
Well, since no water or towels are involved with the use of sanitizers, nothing is actually being removed from your hands. The bugs are dead, but they’re still there. And what about all that grease and grime infused with pesticides and heavy metals? Yup, still all over your hands. They just smell clean now.
Your best bet for obsessively clean hands is still good old soap and water. Soap doesn’t necessarily kill the germs, but it doesn’t have to. It’s a surfactant: in the presence of water it grabs all the oogy oil, dirt, chemicals and germs and carries them away down the drain, leaving your hands so clean you could eat off 'em!
Or you could do what I do: when out in public, keep your hands away from your orifices (not those orifices, you dirty birdies: your mouth, nose and eyes!)
Then again, you could take to wearing disposable latex gloves…
A recent article on Medscape (free registration required) addressed skin hygiene. Some points:[ul][li]Regular washing with non-antibacterial soap is all people normally need.[/li][li]Frequent or more vigorous washing can increase the numbers of bacteria on the skin due to skin damage which can give the germs more places to hide.[/li][li]In the UK there is already evidence of bacteria resistance to triclosan, a common anti-bacterial.[/li]Products containing alcohol may be indicated if you come into contact with someone susceptible to infection or if you are a health-care professional and have to perform an invasive procedure.[/ul]