If hand sanitizer kills 99.9% of germs, what stops us from using that all of the time instead of hand washing?
In: Biology
Lots of good points on here, but noone has mentioned the fact that bacteria, viruses and microbes on our hands that we can kill with hand sanitiser also make waste- so we can kill the cells but the only way to get rid of the waste is by washing.
This occurred to me in relation to another thread (sorry don’t have the link) discussing why it’s safe to cut the mould off a piece of cheese and eat the good but, but not bread- the mould makes waste that contaminates the bread as its soft but not the cheese as its hard. (Or something like) the waste products are more harmful than the mould. So surely the waste products of germs on the skin are also harmful
Personally, hand sanitizer dries my skin out so much to the point where it cracks and bleeds. so i never use it.
Most importantly (imo) is hand sanitizer does not kill the Norovirus which is responsible for most stomach illness.
I can think of two reasons. Hand sanitizer dries out the hands and doesn’t remove physical grime as effectively. Thus, proper hand-washing keeps your hands healthier and cleaner.
The single most life saving discovery in the history of medical science is hot soapy water. There is little need to be concerned about killing all of the germs, which is impossible, when you can just wash them off of you. In a modern city that would be sending live germs into the sanitary sewer system where there is a extremely low risk of someone being there to be harmed by them.
It’s not the same as washing your hands. Washing your hands removes dirt, food, germs etc. hand sanitizer might kill germs but it doesn’t clean them off your hands like soap and water.
Hand sanitiser doesn’t work as well when hands are soiled or greasy, and so soap is used because not only does it wash away the dirt and grease but it also breaks down the walls of bacteria and viruses and/or washes them away. Hand sanitizer is only good because of its ease of access due to no need for water and quick action, however soap is usually the better option
Some good points, but I haven’t seen this one come up yet. It’s bad for your skin.
Your skin is *always* covered in germs and other microbes, which are beneficial (or ar least not bad) for you. In what ways our microbiome helps us exactly is still undergoing research, but at least they make it harder for “bad” germs to spread. Using hand sanitizer will kill them off, allowing nasty stuff to spread when you get in contact with it later.
Additionally, hand sanitizer is usually drying out the skin, causing tiny cracks, which potentially help bad germs to hide there or even get inside your body faster.
Only use it occasionally, for example when you are touching a wound. Otherwise soap is better.
Hand sanitizer kills the creatures in the cesspool, but it’s now a cesspool with even more bodies for the next batch of creatures to feast on.
Soap removes the creatures and the substances in the cesspool.
Google kid’s experiments with soap/water, sanitizer, and nothing using sliced bread in ziploc bags.
“Moldy bread experiment”
Wash your hands.
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