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Hand Sanitizers vs. Hand Washing – Which is More Effective?
There are a lot of
misconceptions when it comes to the use of hand sanitizers and hand washing.
However, what if someone tells you that these hand sanitizers are not as good
as they are advertised to be as far as cleaning your hands and keeping your
facility healthy are concerned?
Commercial cleaning
service providers in Dallas help create the healthiest and cleanest workplace
environments possible for their clients. And if you will ask the experts, there
are a lot of things that you should know first when it comes to hand
sanitizers.
The Problem with Hand Sanitizers
For the longest
time, alcohol-based handwash disinfectants are the common go-to solutions for
hospitals as well as other healthcare facilities for controlling the spread of
different infections like Enterococcus faecium (E. faecium) and Staphylococcus
aureus or staph infection.
Most hospitals
across the globe have also started to install hand sanitizer dispensers for
their staff members, patients, and visitors to use to lessen the spread of
drug-resistant bacteria and infections. While hand sanitizers worked for the
two infections mentioned, they actually increased some other forms of
infections.
Specifically, the enterococcal
infections or those infections that were brought about by bacteria affecting
the bladder, digestive tract, heart, and other body parts, started to increase.
Internationally, enterococci make
up 10% of hospital-acquired bacterial infections. These are also the main cause
of the fatal blood infection sepsis in Europe and North America.
Different Types
of Ingredients in Hand Sanitizers and Their Specific Roles and Purposes
The alcohol content of hand sanitizer must be at least 60% for it to be
considered as effective. There are also hand sanitizers that use ethyl or
isopropyl alcohol as the primary antiseptic ingredient. Certain products also
include a maximum hand sanitizer alcohol content level of 95%.
Once alcohol-based hand sanitizers come into close contact with
bacteria and germs on your hands’ surface, the alcohol will render them
inactive or kill them on contact. But, even if such kinds of hand sanitizer
ingredients can lessen the number of microbes, these don’t eliminate all kinds
of germs.
It has been reported that some enteroccoci bacteria strains have
already developed better tolerance to alcohol-based hand sanitizers. The alcohol-tolerant
E. faecium was able to resist the standard 70% isopropanol surface disinfection
that resulted to greater mouse gut colonization than alcohol-sensitive E.
faecium since the strain tolerant to alcohol has acquired mutations in the
genes that are involved in metabolism and carbohydrate uptake.
Hand Washing is
Still a Better Option
Hand washing is and will always be a critical aspect of hygiene and
health. Experts advise that you need to wash your hands using running water and
plain soap. This is among the most important steps that you can take to prevent
getting sick and to stop the spread of infections to others. If no water and
soap is available, it is highly recommended to use alcohol-based hand
sanitizers containing at least 60% alcohol.
Courtesy Building Services Inc. values the health of both
employees and customers. The team cleans to disinfect every space and keeps
them looking good and pleasing to the eyes.