Everyone is interested in hand hygiene because of the outbreak and global spread of the coronavirus pandemic. However, people are still not sure about what is best and will be effective. There are different products available for hand hygienic like sanitizers, gels, and others. You have to be sure that the one you get has the correct ingredients in the proper quantities so that it is effective.
Soap plus alcohol gel
Let us begin by discussing soap along with alcohol gel and why they can help keep your hands clean. The virus that we are looking at has to be kept in mind.
It has been claimed that COVID-19 tends to be an enveloped virus. Therefore, the RNA i.e. nucleic acid or the viral genetic material tends to be coated within a lipid or fatty layer.
When it comes to soap, it can dissolve the lipid layer, leading to the virus breaking apart and not being able to mix with our cells. Therefore, it has been suggested that you clean your hands with soap and water for at least 20 minutes. However, this cannot always be possible like when traveling or at work in a meeting for instance.
Alcohol-based sanitizers are said to function similarly, being able to make the virus become inactive and breaking the harmful lipid layer.
What you need to remember about hand sanitizers
You may know this, that it is necessary to get one which has alcohol in it. It must be at least around 60% if you want one that will work effectively. This is due to the reason that a 60-95% content tends to be the level required for the product to function to inactivate viruses like COVID-19.
Many alcohol-based sanitizer gels have certain alcohol. It can be more than one. Check to see if it has ethanol or isopropanol, even a mixture of both. The label will state the fact. For instance, have a look at the La Clinica hand sanitizer gel.
Alcohol-free products
You may be wondering whether the alcohol-free items work properly. These are often foams. You need to know that they may be gentler on skin. However, the evidence provided by scientists varies when it comes to alcohol-free merchandise.
The ones that do not have alcohol often have ingredients like benzalkonium chloride, chlorhexidine digluconate, etc. Some say that these are not as effective in getting rid of viruses like the ones with alcohol.
The ingredients function better with bacteria as well as viruses like norovirus. The World Health Organization suggests that alcohol-based ones get used because the evidence is clearer with these. This is similar to when using soap and water.
There are many hand sanitizers and gels in the market along with other products claiming to keep you safe from the virus. Due to the competition, it can be tough choosing which one to get. Research and check out the ingredients so that you can get one that will keep you and your family safe rather than wasting money on an ineffective product.
