How To Select Disposable Hand Sanitizer

What COVID-19 taught us might be the importance of washing hand.

During the epidemic, we have read a lot of news about disposable hand sanitizer which was claimed to be able to kill COVID-19 virus.

However, many of us hardly knew about disposable hand sanitizer before the epidemic. Therefore, how to choose reliable sanitizer become a widely concerned problem.

For the ordinary public, disposable hand sanitizer should be only a plan B for there is no water. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and World Health Organization (WHO) both stated that running water, together with soap or ordinary sanitizer, is able to clean dust, fat, bacteria and virus away from our hands and prevent germ transmission effectively.

On the other hand, disposable hand sanitizer is an alternative for washing hands when there is no running water. Compared with running water, disposable hand sanitizer has actually worse cleaning performance. Its main function is to disinfect germs.

Of course, after seeing doctors in hospital or staying in a place which is crowded, we can wash hands with running water and soap first and disinfect with disposable hand sanitizer which contains active disinfection ingredients. In this way, we can further reduce the risk of spreading virus to our family. But if we always stay at home, it’s not necessary to wash hands regularly with disposable hand sanitizer.

1.How to select disposable hand sanitizer?

Some kinds of disposable hand sanitizer contain alcohol and some don’t. COVID-19 makes us know that alcohol is a kind of effective disinfectant ingredient.

However, containing alcohol or not, disposable hand sanitizer is not suitable for infants or babies. On the one hand, alcohol disposable hand sanitizer is not recommended for infants and babies. They have thinner cuticle and will be stimulated easily. The stimulation might even cause allergy. On the other hand, some ingredients of alcohol-free sanitizer cannot volatile as easily as alcohol and will leave on babies’ hands. If babies rub eyes with hands, the residual ingredients will stimulate their ocular mucosa. Or babies like to lick their hands and these ingredients will also be digested.

Therefore, we can prepare some water and soap to clean babies’ hands when we are out. If we just want to use disposable hand sanitizer, it is suggested to wipe hands with clean water or pure water wet wipes after washing hands.

But which can be used by children?

American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) suggests that children wash their hands with 60% alcohol disposable hand sanitizer when there is no water and soap.

Sanitizer containing alcohol is suggested because alcohol can disinfect most effectively and quickly among all kinds of hand disinfectants. In addition, alcohol is volatile and will not remain on hands.

The alcohol concentration is also required to be over 60%. lower concentration cannot ensure alcohol’s performance in killing bacteria and virus.

We are also familiar to another figure when it comes to alcohol concentration, i.e., 75%. Disinfection Technical Specifications specify 75% as the concentration of alcohol for disinfection. Official guide for COVID-19 diagnosis and treatment also represents that 75% alcohol can effectively kill the virus.

Some knowledge to physical and chemical properties of COVID-19 virus comes from previous study on SARSr-CoV and MERSr-CoV. The both kinds of virus are sensitive to ultraviolet and heat. Temperature of 56°C for 30 minutes, ether, 75% alcohol, chlorine disinfectant, peracetic acid, chloroform and some other fat solvent are all effective to inactivate virus, while chlorhexidine is not.

2.Spraying or gel hand sanitizer, which kind of alcohol disposable hand sanitizer is better?

Alcohol content of gel sanitizer is usually under 70% because high concentration will weaken gel viscosity.

Strictly speaking, there is no official claim whether alcohol of higher or lower concentration has the ability to disinfect COVID-19 virus, so we cannot define the disinfecting performance of alcohol in other concentrations.

However, CDC once explained that alcohol in concentration within 60-95% had the basic function to kill virus and bacteria. What should be additionally noticed is that we should observe the instructions for sanitizer use and guarantee dosage and rubbing time for the best disinfecting performance.

Both as disposable hand sanitizer, praying sanitizer has better performance while gel sanitizer gives better feelings. Containing alcohol in proper concentration and being used in correct ways, their disinfectant performance are both reliable. We can choose one depending on our own like.