Is Purell As Good As You Think?

In light of all of the reported flu cases this season, people have been taking extra precaution in both public and private places; extra Clorox wipes can be found in homes and Purell in bags across the country.  However, while these cleaning products do help to make you feel like as though you are killing germs and bacteria and staying healthy, in some cases you are not actually getting the results you were expected to get.

While Americans spent over $175 million on hand sanitizers in the last year, it seems as though this money could have been used for products that could have protected them more than what they purchased.

Hand sanitizers do not cut through the dirt and grime that accumulates throughout the day and will not help or protect you if your hands are visibly soiled.  While soap and water is the most effective for these situations, if it is not possible to get to a sink, consider rubbing the product all over your hands and wrists (including under your nails!) and letting them air dry for at least 30 seconds. While this will not kill the 99.9% of bacteria that it claims, it is better than doing nothing at all!

However, do not make it a habit to skip on the traditional hand-washing all together, as those who ONLY used sanitizers to clean their hands resulted in a 6 times greater chance of getting the deadly stomach virus, norovirus, than those who did not.

Still not sold on the negative effects of hand-sanitizers? Consider this statistic: at a study at the University of Virginia, people were asked to lather up on alcohol-based antiviral sanitizers every 3 hours and the results were recorded.  What was discovered?  The users exhibited no significant drop in viral infections, such as the flu or norovirus, in comparison to nonusers.

What does this mean for us?  Stress the importance of hand-washing to your kids and set the example yourself by ensuring that you wash your hands as often as possible!