Soap vs Sanitizer: Why they are the best options for fighting Covid-19.
Hand hygiene is one of the most effective methods used to reduce the transmission of infectious diseases. During this Covid-19 days, we’ve all been hearing, “wash your hands” and, “sanitize your hands” as one of the best ways to stay healthy. Washing hands with soap and water and using sanitizer is now the new normal and the greatest practice during this Covid-19, along with social distancing. The following provides information necessary to make an informed decision.
Take care of your hands.
In some situations, water and soap is the recommended choice. For example, in the food service industry, food workers’ hands are often wet and often contaminated with fatty material or with food high in proteins. The presence of water, food, fatty materials and blood on hands can significantly reduce the effectiveness of an alcohol-based hand sanitizer. Viruses such as coronavirus are also a concern in food service settings. Therefore hand sanitizers cannot be used as a replacement for washing hands using clean water and soap because they are not as effective if organic matter (dirt, food, or any other material) is visible on hands.
On the other hand, waterless hand sanitizers provide several advantages over hand washing with soap and water. They do not promote antimicrobial resistance. Sanitizers also act quickly to kill microorganisms on your hands. Some can even improve the condition of your skin. It also requires less time than washing with soap and water.
Children particularly have been known to swallow hand sanitizer. Meaning that hand sanitizers should be stored out of reach of children and kept strictly under adult supervision. Handwashing with plain soap and water is the most effective way to reduce the spread of infectious diseases among children. Children should be encouraged to wash their hands with soap and water along with using hand sanitizers. Unlike soap, hand sanitizers are flammable so when stored within your home they need to be stored carefully.
Covid-19 can easily be spread from one person to another through contaminated hands. Washing your hands properly with soap can help prevent Covid-19. The use of soap and water to clean your hands is the best suitable method but that doesn’t mean sanitizer is bad. Generally, it’s good to use liquid soap, particularly during this Covid-19 season.
To prevent the spread of the Coronavirus among people, proper hand hygiene must be practiced. It is hard to believe many people are not washing their hands regularly during this Covid-19 pandemic. Why aren’t they washing their hands frequently enough? Is it ignorance? It’s likely a combination of forgetfulness and ignorance. It is a sad state of affairs that news anchors and government officials are still reminding us that it is important to wash your hands.
In summary, protect yourself from the coronavirus by washing your hands with soap and water as it is the most effective way of keeping your hands hygienically. At the same time always carry sanitizer for when soap and water are not available.
Curious about sanitizer effectiveness? Read more here.
