If hand sanitizer kills 99.9% of germs, what stops us from using that all of the time instead of hand washing?
In: Biology
Excuse germs mutate, and eventually can grow an immunity to such things. It’s best to use sparingly for this reason.
I can hardly believe no one has addressed the cost difference between soap and water vs alcohol. Beyond costs of production, there is an enormous difference is the number of cleanings one gets out of soap vs alcohol. Logistical and storage costs etc.
Cost differences between the two materials are the main driver in soaps popularity.
Oh! I have a really good answer for that!
Taken C. diff. for example. It’s a somewhat common bacteria that you can get mostly at hospitals, but really anywhere (it causes horrible diarrhea).
It’s not affected by alcohol-based sanitizers. In fact, bleach is the only thing that kills it.
So washing your hands is a really good way at making sure you don’t get infected by it.
Soap acts as an emulsifier which lifts dirt and oil that otherwise don’t mix with water off of the skin, while hand sanitizer only has germ killing properties. A mechanic for example is just as interested with getting non water soluble oils off of his hands as disinfecting therefore would much rather a soap than alcohol.
It’s total false advertising. Read the label on what 99.9% of germs it kills. It’s a very small list of germs. Hand sanitizer is a sham. Use soap and water.
Latest Answers