Clean Hands, Healthy Living: Understanding 3 Key Benefits of Hand Sanitizers

Cleaning your hands is the first way to promote healthy living. Hands contaminate germs that lead to viral and bacterial infections like nothing else. See, you use your hands to touch cell phones, toilet seats, light switches, and computer keyboards, all of which contain germs if dirty.

You can't avoid touching such surfaces in any way, and it's no surprise that infections like diarrhea continue to rise.

The best control to all this is washing your hands regularly and, most notably, with a hand sanitizer. However simple it sounds, washing your hands is a proven way to protect your wellness and those around you.

Proper handwashing has been shown to significantly reduce respiratory conditions like flu and colds by 20% and diarrhea by 30%, as studied by the CDC Center for Disease and Prevention.

 

Let’s get started.

In the past, it was logical to clean hands using water and soap, and it's still effective today. But with the fast-evolving lifestyles, you are unlikely to find running water and soap anywhere to clean your hands. That's the reason hand sanitizers came to be because you can go anywhere with them and sanitize every often.

World Health Organization acknowledges their effectiveness in such a time you aren't near running water because:

·      Hand sanitizers are gentle on the skin, especially than soaps

·      They prevent bacteria growth since they kill germs

·      They are effective

Now, let's discuss the three key benefits of hand sanitizer further.

1. Hand Sanitizers are Highly Effective

When you clean your hands, you must use effective supplements, and a hand sanitizer is a great enhancer. Hand sanitizers can kill germs by up to 99.9% or almost every germ you may have contacted, far beyond what soap and water can do. Not that soap and water aren't effective, but especially because many people aren't aware of the effective handwashing process, the water and soap end up not helping as much.

But with a hand sanitizer, the application is easy and simple and will ultimately kill all germs. In addition, hand sanitizers exist in various forms, such as gels, mists, sprays, and foams, so the coverage of the product to every part of your hands remains uncompromised.

Moreover, hand sanitizers are more accessible on the go than water and soap, where you must be a nearby water source. Ideally, you can carry a travel hand sanitizer and antibacterial gels everywhere as they are usually sizable, making them portable in a pocket, bag, or car. So, whether you're in a public place where you can easily contaminate germs, hand sanitizer can surely help.

2. Gentler than Soap

Soap is the primary alternative to sanitizers when cleaning hands, but that's often too harsh on the skin, especially when used excessively. It's not the case with hand sanitizers, though, because they are ideally made with a basic formula that's much gentler and better for the skin. Many people use hand sanitizers, improving their skin compared to liquid hand wash, soap, and water.

Another thing is that there are multiple types of hand sanitizers in the market, so you can purchase the one that is best for your skin. If your skin is sensitive, you'll want to take the one with fewer ingredients and fragrance-free to mind irritations.

Besides, you can purchase one without alcohol, especially if you have children, to protect your whole family. The high flexibility of hand sanitizers ensures that you can get a gentle product for your skin without any variability.

3. Prevents Bacteria Growth and Risk of Illness

Bacteria cause illnesses like skin conditions, stomach, etc. So, it's logical to prevent bacteria rather than dealing with health conditions later. A hand sanitizer disrupts cell membranes using its chemicals, and no bacteria can withstand it anymore. It does this without physically hurting you but keeping your hands clean and healthy.

How a Hand Sanitizer Works

Alcohol and benzalkonium chloride are typical ingredients of a hand sanitizer. They typically destroy any germs you may contact when you spread them correctly on the surface of your hand.

When applying, ensure that all parts of your nail beds and hands are thoroughly wet for effective outcomes. To check whether you use enough of it, time the amount of time it remains visible on the surface of your hands. You can know you've used less if it takes less than 15 seconds.

The Best Hand Sanitizer to Use

Age, lifestyle, career, skin type, and personal preference are some of the factors that determine the hand sanitizer you can use. So, there's no better sanitizer than the other ones. The one you choose is well-made and effective in killing pathogens.

It's also nice to consider where you purchase a package to know the results; consider customer reviews and the shop's reputation.

How Often to Sanitize

There is no rule on how often you should sanitize because the ultimate goal is to protect your hands from germs. The product lasts minutes, so sanitize whenever you feel like it or fear you've contaminated a germ. You can also combine your hand cleaning routine with water and soap for more optimistic results.

Conclusion

You've learned why clean hands matter concerning health, right? Moreover, the role of hand sanitizer in cleaning hands, its benefits, how it works, how to get the best one, and how often you should use it.

Now, we can't help but recommend shopping from reputable sellers. This ensures you get the right product that upholds everything discussed in this post and works in your best interest. Whether you want a regular hand sanitizer or one suitable for children or sensitive skin, there’s always one. Clean your hands, and live healthily!