Can you keep a track of how many times you touch your eyes, nose, and mouth, or any part of your face with your hands in a day? Your hands are one of the primary transmission agents during the times of deadly viruses like COVID-19! This is why performing hand hygiene is essential to prevent the spread of viral diseases. Co-Defend is one of the leading PPE suppliers in USA that has a large network of the most trusted Personal Protective Equipment suppliers in Asia. Co-Defend cuts through the supply chain of personal protective equipment and directly connects people with the suppliers to speed up bulk supplies of medical-grade PPE gear and hand sanitizers in the fight against COVID-19.
Several guidelines have been issued by the WHO and public healthcare authorities for hand-washing and the use of hand sanitizers. But, is the excess use of hand sanitizers good for you? Or, how much of it should you use? Being acknowledged as one of the most trusted hand sanitizer manufacturers in USA, we are offering you this mini-guide that will come in handy when using hand sanitizers.
What Is Hand Sanitizer and How Does It Work?
Hand sanitizer is an alcohol-based liquid, gel, or foam that kills disease-causing microorganisms or pathogens present on your hands. Alcohol breaks down the proteins in the pathogen, affects their metabolism and splits the cells into smaller parts.
How Should You Use Hand Sanitizers?
- Pour a quarter-size dollop of hand sanitizer on your palms.
- Rub your hands together for at least 20 seconds until they are fully dry.
- Try to use hand sanitizers once per hour unless you need to apply it more frequently depending on your job.
Advantages of Using Hand Sanitizer
- Hand sanitizer is portable, that is, it can be easily carried in a pocket, purse, or can be kept at your desk.
- It acts on or kills germs quickly.
- Hand sanitizing consumes less time than hand-washing.
- It causes less irritation to the skin than soap and water.
How to Make Hand Sanitizer at Home?
To make hand sanitizer at home, you’ll require the following ingredients:
- 3/4th cup of isopropyl or rubbing alcohol
- A quarter cup of aloe vera gel
- Add 10 drops of tea tree oil, lavender oil or lemon
But, before you start preparing, make sure you wash your hands first. Pour all the above-mentioned ingredients in a clean bowl and mix it well with a spoon to get a gel-like or fluid consistency. Hurray! Your hand sanitizer is ready to use.
How to Pick the Right Hand Sanitizer?
You should consider choosing a hand sanitizer containing 60-95% alcohol. Alcohol is an effective germicide that works by denaturing the protein in microbes. Therefore, hand sanitizers with insufficient concentration of alcohol should be avoided. Also, beware of hand sanitizers that claim to contain alcohol substitutes or alternative disinfectant ingredients
As the most trusted PPE manufacturing company in USA, we are committed to providing high-quality and medical-grade products to our customers. We supply hand sanitizers that contain at least 60-95% alcohol and does not cause skin problems such as dryness, or irritation. Therefore, if you’re looking to buy hand sanitizers or PPE online, you can rely on us for we directly connect you with the most trusted personal protective equipment suppliers and hand sanitizer manufacturers in USA that deliver only high-quality products, thereby reducing the extra cost of middlemen.
Disadvantages of Hand Sanitizer
- Hand sanitizers do not get you rid of all the germs and dirt on your hands, unlike soap.
- They cannot provide complete protection against germs like norovirus, cryptosporidium, and clostridium difficile.
- Hand sanitizers are ineffective if your hands are oily or greasy.
- The excessive use of hand sanitizer can dry out your hands. Always use a good moisturizer or hand cream to keep your skin hydrated.
- Using too much hand sanitizer can also cause minor skin irritation as it contains a decent percentage of alcohol.
How Long Is a Hand Sanitizer Effective?
Hand sanitizers with at least 70% alcohol, mainly ethyl alcohol, kill 99.9% of the microbes within 30 seconds after the application and 99.99% to 99.999% within a minute. The alcohol starts acting on germs in as early as 10 seconds. After the application, 70% of alcohol gets evaporated in the optimal time and kills the germs. Higher doses tend to evaporate faster than lower doses but are also ineffective in killing germs.
Do Hand Sanitizers Come with an Expiry Date?
Hand sanitizer is usually best before 3 years from the date of manufacturing. The alcohol content evaporates with time and the concentration becomes lesser than the recommended 60-70% which makes it ineffective in killing microbes.
Which is Better – Hand Sanitizer or Soap?
Pathogens such as viruses have a layer of lipids which helps them to stick to object surfaces or body parts. Lipids include many natural oils, waxes, and steroids. So, when you wash your hands with soap and water, the lipid layer gets washed away.
While washing hands is the best way to get rid of germs, in instances where soap and water are not available, hand sanitizer can serve the purpose.
What Are the Other Alternatives for Hand Sanitizer?
While hand sanitizing with alcohol and handwashing with soap are the best ways to kill germs on your hands, there are other ingredients that you can use as well. Tea tree oil and plain vinegar can also be used to kill microbes. You can also make hand sanitizer with aloe vera gel, witch hazel and a few drops of essential oil.
How to Prevent the Spread of Coronavirus
- Wash your hands often for at least 20 seconds. Always carry a hand sanitizer with at least 60% alcohol.
- Stay at home unless you need to leave your house for shopping for groceries or medical emergencies.
- When you’re in the public setting, maintain social distancing. Keep a minimum of 3-6 feet distance from others.
- Always wear a face mask or face covering when going outside. You can even use homemade cloth face masks too.
- Avoid touching your face as there is a high chance of virus to get transmitted from your contaminated hands.
- Always sanitize door-delivered goods, groceries, and surfaces with a disinfectant to kill germs present on them.
Wrapping Up
A hand sanitizer is nothing less than your savior on-the-go that prevents the spread of pathogens. The alcohol content in the sanitizer breaks down the cells and cell metabolism in pathogens. However, using only sanitizers should not be considered as a frontline defence. Make sure you wash your hands as well with soap and water once you reach home or a safe place.
Being one of the leading and most trusted PPE suppliers in USA, Co-Defend is also ranked among the best hand sanitizer manufacturers in USA. If you need to buy hand sanitizers or PPE gear in bulk, you can trust us 100%. As an authorized PPE manufacturing company in USA, we offer a wide array of products including N95 respirators, surgical facemasks and gloves, medical devices like thermal scanners, medical protective clothing, and many more.
Stay home and stay safe!