The invention and popularization of hand sanitizer is a great thing in modern culture. We all enjoy being able to carry around with us a little bottle with a magic chemical that replaces soap and water. Hand sanitizer can be very useful in situations where soap and water are inaccessible, and can definitely help you to be more healthful in those situations. Whether you’re a mom on the go, a frequent outdoorsman, a mysophobe, or just a normal person, you have probably benefitted at least once in your life from the use of hand sanitizer.
Is hand sanitizer really as great as we think it is? The claims on the bottles of most hand sanitizer companies are soundly backed up by science. Any hand sanitizer that is made up of at least 65% alcohol will kill 99.9% of bacteria within 30 seconds, and after 1 minute will kill between 99.99% and 99.999%. Hand sanitizer kills germs. It does not, however, clean your hands – it just sanitizes them. That is to say, it does not actually remove dirt. The Mayo Clinic [http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/hand-washing/HQ00407/NSECTIONGROUP=2] says that, while hand sanitizer is a perfectly acceptable alternative to soap and water, it should not be used when hands are visibly dirty. The real problem is that hand sanitizer is used most when soap and water are unavailable – like on a camping trip – when hands are very likely to be dirty.
Keeping this all in mind, let’s look at how to properly use hand sanitizer.
1)Hand sanitizer is acceptable to use in many cases, as long as your hands are visibly clean, and the hand sanitizer is at least 65% alcohol.
2)To use hand sanitizer, pour out enough to thoroughly cover your hands and rub it in thoroughly for at least 25 seconds.
3)Remember that it can take up to a minute for hand sanitizer to be completely effective – so don’t just wet your hands and eat something! Also make sure that you have thoroughly rubbed it in so that you don’t accidently ingest the alcohol from the sanitizer.
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