The dangers that can lurk under the dirt on hands…
Washing hands thoroughly with soap and water “should be your first choice” rather than gels when it comes to effective hand hygiene, according to a recent article on the Refinery 24 website.
Hand sanitisers and hand washing are both entirely necessary and important – particularly in these pandemic-ridden times, but there are often circumstances when the former option can be very much the less effective one. Report author Mirel Zaman quotes no less an authority than the CDC – the Centers For Disease Control and Prevention when stating that alcohol gels do “have some limitations”.
“Since sanitizer doesn’t actually remove anything from your hands, if you’ve got visible dirt or grime then soap and water is always the way to go.”
Apart from the obvious “gross” reasons for wanting to remove dirt (think about it), it can also act as a kind of protective shield, stopping the sanitiser from actually come into contact with skin where the germs can lurk, preventing contact before they evaporate and become useless, according to a Chief Medical Officer at GoHealth Urgent Care named as J.D. Zipkin MD in the article.
And the gels aren’t effective against all germs, with an example given by Dr. Hipkin being “spore-forming bacteria”.
Good old soap and water doesn’t actually need to kill anything of course – it just washes it all away, removing it from your hands. And a thorough drying with a disposable paper towel ensures that it’s a job well done.
Is hand sanitizer as effective as soap & water? »
Editor’s note: this article was written in the UK – referring to “sanitisers”. Quoted sources were generated in the USA – hence “sanitizers”.
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There are vehicle mounted, wall mounted, mains powered and free standing hand wash stations as well as mobile sinks for use with pre-heated hot water.
The Teal range of mobile sinks includes the MediWash, Hygienius and Hygienius ProWash, BigSynk, Super Stallette, TEALwash, Handeman Xtra, Compact Classic and WashStand – and now the new HandSpa.