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2024 Author: Malcolm Clapton | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 03:44
Supermarkets and pharmacies are full of jars that say they will save us from all germs in the world. The life hacker understands whether this is so.
Antibacterial agents are popular, because terrible microbes live around, and on all kinds of gels in bright bottles it is written that they will save us and protect us by 99.9%. Not everything is as good as we are promised.
How antibacterial gels work
Most of these products are based on regular rubbing alcohol, which is actually effective. It destroys both various bacteria and viruses, most importantly, it does it quickly. … Chlorhexidine, for example, is much cheaper and retains its effect after drying, but works more slowly than alcohol.
However, the figure about 99.9% of the destroyed microbes is advertising. This is how spherical alcohol works in a vacuum, but in real life it will not work to kill all microbes.
The fact is that alcohol and antiseptics based on it show the best results when there is no visible dirt on the hands A. J. Pickering, J. Davis, A. B. Boehm. … … For example, if you washed your hands and then treated them with a product. And if dust, earth or something greasy remains on the skin, then the product works much worse. Alcohol dries quickly and then ceases to act, and microbes that remain on dirty hands multiply briskly.
If you wash your hands with soap and water, you don't need an antibacterial agent.
We have already told you how to do it correctly. Only professionals need to treat hands with an antiseptic after washing: doctors and those who work with products.
Everyone else needs to find a sink and regular soap E. C. Todd, B. S. Michaels, J. Holah, D. Smith, J. D. Greig, C. A. Bartleson. … Water and foam will wash away bacteria, viruses, and all kinds of pollution such as metals, dust or toxic substances, against which antiseptics are powerless.
But what if there is no washstand nearby?
How to use antibacterial gels correctly
In case you can't wash your hands at all, but you need to clean them urgently, use antibacterial gels in conjunction with wet wipes: first remove the dirt, then treat the skin.
It is not every day that we urgently need to wash our hands, so even a small jar will last for a long time.
You can't handle your hands too often because:
- This leads to dermatitis - the skin turns red and flakes. There are, of course, softening and moisturizing ingredients in the jars of products. But you still don't need to be zealous.
- Bacteria and viruses develop resistance to antiseptics. The more you use antibacterial gels, the stronger the surviving microorganisms.
What are the conclusions? Throw a can of alcohol in your bag, but use it wisely.
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