Hand sanitizer sales have gone up. Way up. Canadians are clamouring for hand sanitizers, believing it’s the answer to COVID-19. Unfortunately, not all hand sanitizers work against the coronavirus. In fact, most don’t.
A much better way to combat COVID-19 is by washing your hands thoroughly with soap and water. There’s nothing better. Believe it or not, soap is extremely effective against novel coronavirus. It completely kills the virus. That’s why washing your hands is so important.
What Hand Sanitizers Work Against COVID-19?
Hand sanitizers are effective against disease-causing microbes, at least most of the time. Hand sanitizers fall into two categories. Those that are alcohol-based which use either ethyl alcohol, isopropyl alcohol, or n-propanol. In hand sanitizers with alcohol, it should make up 60 to 95 percent.
There are alcohol-free hand sanitizers. These include Soapopular anti-microbe hand sanitizer. Sanitizers like this use something called quarternary ammonium compounds. This is usually benzalkonium chloride. Non-alcohol sanitizers are less effective than those with alcohol. A hand sanitizer needs to be at least 60 percent alcohol to kill viruses like COVID-19. An alcohol-free sanitizer will not work.
Choose Hand Soaps Over Hand Sanitizers
If you take the extra minute to wash your hands with soap and water, it will kill COVID-19 every time. Whether it’s Dial Basics hand soap, a bar of Dove soap, or a bottle of Mrs. Meyer’s Clean Day Hand Soap, soap works.
You can use alcohol-free sanitizer or low-alcohol hand sanitizer all you want and it won’t successfully take care of coronavirus. The friction of washing with soap and water is what’s needed.
Some may try to make their own hand sanitizers at home. This is not recommended. Sanitizer recipes are very hit and miss. Most aren’t as effective as commercial products and even commercial products aren’t always doing the job killing coronavirus. If you do decide to go with a hand sanitizer, ensure it has alcohol included. Most you will find on the shelf do not have alcohol.
Why soap works so well with COVID-19 is because the virus is coated with a fatty layer on its outside. Soap dissolves that fatty layer, weakening the virus and allowing it to be killed instantly. How hand sanitizer can do the same is through its alcohol content. This is why so many distilleries have switched to manufacturing alcohol-based sanitizer. It’s an easy adjustment.
Are you looking for soap for COVID-19? Buy it in bulk along with face masks, face shields, respirators, and other coronavirus essential supplies from Living.ca today.
Featured photo by Edward Jenner at Pexels.com
