During this global pandemic, using sanitizers can be considered synonymous to breathing oxygen. Without sounding exaggerating, let’s move towards the fact that the sanitizers being recommended are alcoholic.
Alcohol is preferred because it is extremely effective when it comes to killing various types of bacteria, viruses, and microbes. It inactivates the proteins of these bacteria and viruses, and thus diminishes their ability to harm us. Alcohol is the fastest way to inactivate bacteria and viruses.
It seems very easy to use alcohol-based sanitizers, as you put it on your hands, it dries as soon as you start rubbing your hands together.
Though they are easy to use, you must know the do’s and don’ts regarding the same:
Don’t prefer to use a spray sanitizer. Rather choose to use tube-form sanitizer. The reason behind the same is that spray sanitizers don’t evaporate easily, and also more sanitizer gets dispensed through a spray bottle.
Do Practice TRAPS while using sanitizer. WHO has revealed an acronym to make the usage of sanitizer easier.
- T: Tips of fingers
- R: Rub your hands, and palms, dorsal hands’ parts
- A: Adequate amount of sanitizer
- P: Proper time spent sanitizing
- S: Spray in between fingers
Don’t use a sanitizer when you are near fire. Alcoholic sanitizers have ethyl content in them, and that’s why they are likely to catch fire from nearby. So, come near to fire only when the sanitizer has evaporated completely.
Do moisturize your hands as many times as you use sanitizer. Sanitizers can prove to be damaging for the skin when used regularly; that’s why it is essential to keep your hands moisturized to minimize the harms.
Don’t overuse sanitizer. By overusing a sanitizer, you will allow your skin’ natural barrier to vanish. Usually, alcohol-based sanitizers come with a minimum of 60% of alcohol, and due to which it burns down the natural lipids and proteins on the skin, in turn, the skin’s ability to fight infections gets reduced.
Don’t focus on the fragrance of sanitizer. Sanitizers include various chemicals and alcohol within, and that’s why you shouldn’t focus on the fragrance of the sanitizer. Rather focus on its reliability. Due to the increased need for sanitizers, many of the unknown and unreliable companies are also selling sanitizers, and some of them are using triclosan while producing alcohol- free sanitizers. Triclosan is used in creating pesticides, and other cleaning agents, which may prove to be extremely harmful to the skin. It may penetrate the skin and cause severe allergic reactions.
Don’t rely on sanitizer to clean food residue from your hands. Of course, sanitizers kill bacteria from your hands, but researches have predicted that sanitizers don’t clean food residue from your hands. And, when you touch your face even after washing your hands, you may get acne issues. So don’t just rely on sanitizers completely. Use your regular hand wash to clean your hands after eating.
Do give priority to our old-fashioned way of washing hands. Soap and a little water will be more beneficial when you rub your hands properly and then wash. So, don’t underestimate the ways that we have been using till now when it comes to washing hands.
