Contents:
- Why is hand washing important?
- Various ways to clean hands
- What are the ways to wash hands that are effective at killing bacteria?
- 1. Wash hands with running water
- 2. Wash hands with ordinary soap
- 3. Wash hands with antiseptic soap
- 4. Wash hands with hand sanitizer
An easy way to prevent yourself from contracting the disease is to get used to washing your hands. Well, among ordinary soap, antibacterial soap, and hand sanitizer, which one is more effective at killing bacteria? Previously, first consider the explanation below.
Why is hand washing important?
Every day your body is exposed to dust, dirt, and bacteria. All these substances can cause illness when entering the body, such as stomach aches.
You need to know that hands are an intermediary for bacteria and dirt to enter the body, either through the mouth or other body parts touched by the hand. Therefore, routine hand washing can prevent the accumulation of bacteria in your hands.
Make no mistake, hand washing is not just soaking your hands with running water. You also have to rub between fingers, palms, to the tip of your nails with soap for 20 seconds. Then, dry your wet hands with a tissue or towel. In addition to water and soap, you can also wash your hands with hand sanitizer.
Various ways to clean hands
There are many ways to wash hands, whether using water or not. These methods are:
- Wash hands with running water
- Wash hands with ordinary soap
- Wash hands with antiseptic soap
- Wash hands with hand sanitizer (without water)
What are the ways to wash hands that are effective at killing bacteria?
Washing your hands in any way is better than not washing your hands at all. But if you want to get rid of germs and bacteria completely, there are several ways that are more effective than other methods.
Come on, we compare below.
1. Wash hands with running water
Most people, including you, may wash your hands more often with running water. This usually occurs when soap is not available or you are in a hurry so that the water only soaks the hands.
You need to know that running water can indeed clean germs that attach to the hand, but only partially. If you don't rub your fingers properly when washing your hands, germs that stick tightly between your fingers or nails will certainly not get carried away.
2. Wash hands with ordinary soap
Ordinary soap is designed to reduce the surface tension of the water so that the dirt on the surface of the skin becomes easier to clean. Actually, ordinary soap is also effective for getting rid of bacteria. However, sometimes ordinary soap products are more formulated to remove odors on the hands so that it is not necessarily effective to kill bacteria.
Fragrant ordinary soap contains additional perfumes which might make the skin dry. For babies and also people who have sensitive skin, soap containing perfume should be avoided.
3. Wash hands with antiseptic soap
Antibacterial soap is a cleaning product that contains additional antimicrobial ingredients, such as alcohol, benzalkonium chloride, and other antibacterial ingredients. This cleaning product is effective for killing bacteria so it is often used in hospitals, clinics, health centers, or other offices.
In addition to bacteria directly attached to your hands, furry pets, such as cats or dogs can also be an intermediary to transfer germs to your body. The type of bacteria that attaches to pets does not cause scabies, but can make your skin itchy. Well, to overcome this you can use this antibacterial soap.
4. Wash hands with hand sanitizer
Washing your hands with water and soap is indeed a priority. However, when there is no water and soap, it does not mean you do not need to wash your hands. The method is easy, using hand sanitizer. These cleaning products are available in small packages that are practically carried everywhere, for example when traveling.
When you are in a car and want to snack, you certainly will not stop for a moment just to wash your hands, right? Well, this is the advantage of an easy-to-use hand sanitizer anytime and anywhere.
Content hand sanitizer can not clean oil or dirt as well as washing hands with soap. Unfortunately, not all types of germs can be eradicated by hand sanitizers. So, you should choose hand sanitizer alcohol based ones around 60 percent.
