One of the best-known ways to remove dirt and mucus from your hands is to use soap and water and to thoroughly wash your hands in water, especially considering the way that Covid-19 and other viruses and bacteria can be spread from touching people, surfaces, and objects.
However, when you are on the move, using liquid hand sanitiser have become the second-best option. It is important to remember that there is a wide range of different types of hand sanitiser for sale, but how would you know which products are safe?
Because of the Covid-19 pandemic, there are more producers of alcohol-based hand sanitisers, but not all these are safe and there are some that may contain harmful chemicals that could lead to skin irritation, with many other reports of skin burns because of unsafe chemical compositions reported.
Considerations when buying Hand Sanitiser
According to the World Health Organisation (WHO) and the Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), you must use a hand sanitiser that contains at least 70 percent alcohol, more specifically ethanol alcohol as one of the main active ingredients.
Ethyl alcohol is safe and effective against bacteria and viruses, but many products have other types of alcohol that should be avoided. One such type of alcohol is methyl alcohol, a toxin that is not safe for use. Many unethical producers use methyl alcohol to meet the demand for hand sanitiser and to subsequently sell their products.
Another ingredient that you must look out for in hand sanitiser is 1-propanol alcohol, which is another toxin. Lastly, you must check the expiry date of the product. Like most products, hand sanitises will not be effective as the alcohol content wanes after some time. Some other factors that you must consider with hand sanitisers are as follows:
- Hand sanitisers kill germs, but they do not clean your hands of dirt and grime. Hand sanitiser must be used in conjunction with other hygienic practices, such as washing your hands with soap and warm water. This may not kill any types of germs, but it helps to loosen them from the skin where they can easily be killed by disinfectant sprays, liquid hand sanitisers, or gel hand sanitiser.
- Not all hand sanitisers are equal – to kill germs, the hand sanitiser must contain at least 70% alcohol. Anything less than this will not necessarily work for all types of germs, and it only deters the growth of germs. Hand sanitiser that contains benzalkonium chloride is less reliable against most bacteria and viruses.
- Cleaning products are not suitable for use as hand sanitiser and should only be used on hard, nonporous surfaces. Cleaning supplies such as bleach should not be used on human skin and should not be used on food products.
- Hand sanitisers can be toxic when it is injected and lead to alcohol poisoning, especially in children. There should always be adult supervision where children use hand sanitiser, and these products should be kept out of their reach.