"Rub it on, germies gone". This seems to have become the new mantra that parents are teaching the kids for inculcating good hand hygiene habits. While it's a good habit, not everyone knows the correct way of using the hand sanitizer so the kids don't get taught how to use them properly either, which nullifies the whole purpose of using such hygiene products in the first place.
Here are some fast facts that one should know before choosing to use a hand sanitizer.
These cannot and do physically remove the germs from the hands like the friction of using soap and water do. Additionally, it cannot get rid of germs on visibly dirty hands due to the layer of dirt on them. Plus, sanitizers do not get rid of fat and other starches on the skin which gather more dirt and germs.
The correct way to use a hand sanitizer is taking a dime size of the solution in the palm of your hands and rub it on to all over the hands including front and back, between the fingers, under and around the nails. A dime size roughly amounts to about a circle with about 1.8 cm diameter or about the size of a 50 paise coin. The hand sanitizer should be rubbed for about 30 seconds which is about the time it takes for the solution to evaporate completely. Kids should be taught not to touch anything, especially food before all of the sanitizer evaporates.
While the method works well, more often than not some germs survive the alcohol treatment and still remain on the skin. The sanitizer does not physically remove the germs from the skin like soap and water do. Wether using alcohol sanitizers or alcohol free ones, there usually remains a residue on the skin that should ideally be cleaned with a clean tissue. The other ingredients in the sanitizer like the moisturizers, fragrances, dyes, preservatives, etc that are left on the skin after the alcohol has evaporated and need to be removed.
When kids are using these hand hygiene products make sure that they use it in adult supervision only. Additionally, they should not be left anywhere within reach of young children as since they can be tempted to ingest it due to its sweet fragrances. Always ensure that your product of choice contains moisturizers since the alcohol tends to dry out the skin making it more vulnerable to germs. Read the ingredients carefully before choosing the appropriate product for your kids to make sure that the kids are not allergic to any of the ingredients in it. If a certain formulation doesn't suit your kids make it a point to change the hand sanitizer to a more suitable formula. Additionally, choose a product that contains at least 60 percent alcohol for it to be effective.
Hand hygiene products if used correctly in the correct situation can help reduce instances of kids falling sick by a huge margin. So go ahead and tech your kids the right way to rub germs away.
