At the point when you need to clean your hands quickly, you may reach for a sanitizer bottle. But how powerful is hand sanitizer compared to washing your hands with soap and water? As indicated by the CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention), natural hand sanitizer can help reduce the amount of germs and bacteria on your hands, but they do not get rid of all types of bacteria. They may also be less useful if you have dirt, grease/oil or different substances on your hands.
Let's start by explaining the usefulness of hand soap, compared to that of hand sanitizer. The basic role of hand soap is to expel germs and microbes, not kill it. When wash your hands with soap, dirt and germs trapped in the natural oils of the skin are lifted and suspended in water. Alcohol based hand sanitizer, on the other hand, is demonstrated to kill viruses and microbes. The alcohol kills the microscopic organisms by softening the bacterial membrane.
Comparison Between Soap Vs Hand Sanitizer
To prevent the spread of COVID-19, WHO suggested a several precautionary steps in which one is cleaning hands often. Use soap and water, or hand sanitizer. Now the question arises which one is better soap or sanitizer? Have a look!
1. Hand sanitizer is helpful can be effectively carried in a handbag, pockets, and so forth. In fact, when water and soaps are not quickly accessible, hand sanitizer is a decent choice and helpful alternative to combat with germs.
2. It is also said that Hand sanitizers are active against a wide range of viruses except norovirus, etc. but are not a good prophylactic. Sanitizers don't protect against certain sorts of bacteria though soap can.
3. Hand sanitizer can sometimes be more costly than the hand soap. As indicated by the majority of the doctors “Hand sanitizers are progressively advantageous and good during a pinch, however finally soap and water are better”.
4. A few studies demonstrated that when hands are obviously dirty or greasy then hand sanitizer may not be that much effective.
5. A few investigations indicated that harmful chemicals like pesticides and other bacteria present in the hands may not be expelled via utilizing hand sanitizer.
6. The CDC suggested that at this crisis time if we can't reach out to buy hand sanitizer and soap. At this condition use DIY hand sanitizer and face masks to avoid the risk of this virus.
7. Alcohol based best hand sanitizers can rapidly diminish the quantity of microorganisms on hands in certain circumstances, however not able to remove all types of germs. Therefore, the CDC suggests washing hands with soap and water whenever possible as it lessens a wide range of germs and chemicals on hands. But in case, if you are outside and there soap and water are not available, then use at least 60% alcohol based sanitizer to avoid getting ill and won't spread germs to other people.
8. CDC prescribes to utilize hand sanitizer to the palm of one hand and rub it everywhere throughout the surfaces of the hands until hand gets dry, whereas soap foams and spreads in whole parts of the hand. Alcohol-based hand sanitizer is much effective hand Sanitizers as compared to others and you can easily buy it yours nearby medical stores.
Therefore, we can say that to battle against COVID-19 maintain personal hygiene and accept careful steps as suggested by health officials. As per WHO, What Does Soap Do To Your Hands, particularly in the wake of coming into contact with sources of germs. But, the main thing is to make sure to wash or sanitize them, with whatever resources you may have right now.