How effective is liquid hand sanitizer at killing germs, really?

Question

It says "kills 99.9% of common germs" but that is kind of vague. Is it the same as soap and water? what are common germs?

Answer 1

Believe it or not they are just as effective as soap. They are comprised of primarily alcohol which is an antiseptic. However, if your hands are visibly dirty or you have just used the restroom, it is more effective to use soap and water. The reason: you need liquid, the rubbing/scrubbing action, and rinsing to properly rid your skin of those germs.

'Common germs' refers to the majority of germs and bacteria that humans are in contact with on a daily basis. It's a safeguard against someone coming in contact with a rare germ that causes an uncommon illness or disease and that person trying to blame the makers of the sanitizer.

Answer 2

In a hospital setting or EMS setting they say the hand sanitizer is more effective because you only feel the wetness of the sanitizer (not water) and are more likely to cover all the surfaces of your skin unlike soap and water. Plus it feels funny so your compelled to rub in like lotion. The reason they say this is that most people don't really wash their hands as well as they should. Some people think getting them wet and rubbing is sufficient. But, if your a good hand washer and use the soap getting it all over your hands, under rings, and such for the recommended 20+ seconds and rinsing well, using care to turn off the water with a paper towel to avoid previous contamination...your just as good. A lot of us don't have that much time, and therefore use a big ol' glob of the sanitizer and rub in around on the go, washing for real when we get a chance.

Answer 3

Soap and water is more effective.

Common germs just means not super or highly mutated. Simply put it can kill just about anything they just put common keep from false advertising.

Hand Sanitizer contains Alchol which is pretty much poision to the germs.

Answer 4

Depends on how you use it. 15 seconds of vigorous hand rubbing will do the trick, whether you use soap and water or hand sanitizer. The difference is that you need water with the soap and the sanitizer can be used without water. We use it at the hospital for regular handwashing.

Answer 5

The sanitizers are effective if used properly for only 15-20 SECONDS. Soap and water requires better technique and more time.

Answer 6

just last week on the news it was reported that regular hand soap will kill germs as good as the rest of them ,though it was stressed to do a good job of getting your hands scrubbed well,wash like a doctor.yes it its the same as soap and water but watch out for that creepy0.1%that gets by.

Answer 7

There are germs on each thing. Even the healthiest nutrition you devour has germs. that is a question of ways many and what are they doing. Germs grow to be risky at the same time as their populations upward push to out of control degrees. maximum microorganisms have a particular temperature decision in which they could make stronger and performance. warmth kills purely about each thing, presented you get it warm adequate. usually, to be thorough, you would decide on to boil issues to kill germs. it truly is why you ought to bathe with antibacterial cleansing soap, because you may not boil your fingers. chilly slows down, or perhaps stops the upward push and performance of germs. So, in case you freeze slightly of meat with a hint volume of a pathogenic organism (like numerous different piece of meat), the quantity will proceed to be small and possibility free. a similar piece of meat in a warmth room ought to reason the germs to multiply and grow to be risky. So refrigerating stops boost, at the same time as heating reduces actual germ populations.

Answer 8

the alcohol will kill the hand germs but i would prefer water/soap use so that the mechanical action will remove the dirt

Answer 9

I don't know about the effecxtivity of them but where I live there was a menengitis outbreak, and all the doctors started using this on their patients bodies and on their hands and after a few days the outbreak was contained. After a week it was gone. I've kept a bottle at home and at work ever since.

Answer 10

very good