If you wash your hands with Purell, then wash your hands with soap and water 5 minutes afterwards, did you wash off/undo the Purell? Just wondering how long the Purell has to be on your hands to kill the germs. Is it possible to wash it off?
In: Biology
It depends on the bug. Some pathogens, like pseudomonas, are killed extremely quickly, in fewer than 15 seconds. Spore-forming bugs, like C. diff, are actually resistant to ethyl alcohol, and require a sporocide (like Peridox RTU) or mechanical action (soap and hand rubbing) to remove them.
When I disinfect a laminar flow hood before testing drug lots for sterility, I will use both alcohol and a sporocide to reduce the bug count, while wiping with lint-free cloths to further reduce the bio burden.
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