Global Handwashing Day 2020: Know 5 reasons why washing hands is better than using sanitizer

Hands are that part of our body that often comes in contact with people and own selves, so while body hygiene is a top priority for so many people, there’s an especially strong focus on keeping hands clean when it comes to preventing the spread of disease-carrying germs. The Global Handwashing Day is observed on October 15 to aware people about the importance of hand hygiene. While due to coronavirus pandemic people came to realize the importance of hygiene and benefits of washing hands, however, another thing that has gone unnoticed is the debate between hand sanitizer and handwashing and let’s settle it once and for all.

Following the coronavirus outbreak, several methods have been suggested to reduce the risk of infection and cleaning hands with alcohol-based hand sanitizer or washing them with soap and water is essential as specified by WHO

according to experts, “The humble act of washing with soap and water, followed by drying with a clean towel is the gold standard,” Elizabeth Scott, an expert in-home and community hygiene and professor at Simmons University, told Insider. “Handwashing with soap employs mechanical action that loosens bacteria and viruses from the skin, rinsing them into the drain.”

5 Reasons why handwash is better than sanitizers:

1. All Sanitizers are not the same

There a number of sanitizers available in the market, however, they all are not the same as the hand sanitizer should have 62–70% ethyl alcohol to kill the germs and the experts say that they might kill some germs but definitely not enough.

2. Washing Hands is effective only if you wash for 20 seconds or more

Proper handwashing with soap and water is the best one can do but that needs to go up with lathering for 20 seconds and then you need to rinse your hands with clean water.

3. According to experts, soaps produce better results when hands are visibly dirty, unlike sanitizers.

4. Washing hands without soap can remove some amount of microbes but does not remove most of the virus and bacteria completely.

5. According to CDC, “Using soap to wash hands is more effective than using water alone because the surfactants in soap lift soil and microbes from the skin, and people tend to scrub hands more thoroughly when using soap, which further removes germs.”

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