Of Hand Sanitizer, and the Relationship We Should Have with Them
Hello everyone! How have you been?
Good? Tired? Bored?
Well I know, informative articles put me to sleep better that any lullabies.
But hey, it is worth the read. If this was a game, your INT level will surely increase.
Okay, I better stop with those nonsensical random intro.
Today I am going to talk about, Hand Sanitizer.
There is a lot I would like to address regarding this topic and unlike the usual me, I did a ton of study over this matter.
Everyone is aware on how crucial hand sanitizer in our life now, and ever since earlier this year, it has become one of the top desired items nationwide.
So today, let us go through on what should and what should not with hand sanitizer.
Hand sanitizer is a liquid, gel or could be foam, usually use to decrease or eliminate infectious agents on our hands.
Well of course washing your hands with soap and water is more effective but there are times when those are not accessible. And that is when hand sanitizer comes in handy.
It is easy to pack in your bag, some case also come with a loop that enable you to hang it on your bag and many more.
Plus you just need to squeeze or spray it, then rub it all over your hand and fingers.
As simple as ABC!
Hold up ladies and gentlemen. Hand sanitizer sure do comes with a lot of benefits, but everything in the world, if use excessively can be dangerous. I learned it first-hand.
Why?
This is related to the first important point I would like to highlight. Let us go to point number 1.
1. Alcohol-based hand sanitizers can cause alcohol poisoning (if you swallow it)
Ethyl alcohol a.k.a ethanol-based hand sanitizers are safe when we use it properly as directed, but it can cause alcohol poisoning if we swallow it. This usually happens to children but well it happens to me last few weeks as I wrote this article, which inspired me to write about this. After I sanitized my hand with a hand sanitizer, which I realized I had not rub it well yet, someone offered me some kuih which I accepted and ate it using my hand.
I believed my hand was clean when in fact, it is not properly dried yet. My love towards kuih almost kill me as I began to feel not that good afterwards.
So, bear in mind, rub it properly! And do not put too much of it - just the right amount, okay?
Let us head to number 2.
2. Hand sanitizers may not be effective if our hands are visibly dirty or greasy
There has been many studies over this. Those studies show that hand sanitizers work well in clinical settings where hands can come into contact with germs, but generally when the hands are not visibly dirty or greasy. In these circumstances, it would be better to wash your hands with soap and water.
So, if you happened to have greasy hands, please wash it off with soap and water instead of using hand sanitizer.
3. Use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer that contains at least 60% alcohol
Why? Can sanitizers with lower percentage of alcohol also works?
Okay here is the news. Many studies have found that sanitizers with alcohol concentration between 60 to 95% are more effective at killing germs than those with lower percentage or those non-alcohol-based hand sanitizers. As low or non percentage alcohol may not work equally well for many types of germs and it will just reduce the germs growth instead of killing them entirely.
What is the point of using one if it does not get the job done, right?
4. Seriously, follow the direction properly
As you can read in point number 1, one grown-up adult almost had poisoning because she did not use the hand sanitizer properly. Please avoid from being like her.
The steps, the ‘do and don’t’ of hand sanitizer exist for many reasons. It is also to avoid excessive use which can lead to dangerous after effect. Make sure to rub it until your hand is properly dry and do not swallow it or lick it out of curiosity. Please keep your children under control as children tend to do this when we are not watching.
Read the label properly and use it moderately, please.
Anyways since I am writing about hand sanitizer, do check out our line of hand sanitizers at Safetyware.
We manufacture our own hand sanitizers at our own factory in Penang, Malaysia under controlled environment. Feel free to check them out from our online shop! (Click here)
