TheHealthSite The habit of using a hand sanitizer might seem hygienic but that doesn’t mean there’s no downside to it. Hand sanitizer might be posing a threat to your health. On Global Handwashing Day, let’s see why washing hands is still better than using sanitizers.
Global Handwashing Day was founded by Global Handwashing Partnership and it was celebrated in 2008 for the time. Observed on 15 October every year, it’s a platform created to advocate, create and test new ways to encourage people to wash hands. Global handwashing Day 2019 theme is ‘Clean Hands for All’ which means being inclusive while dealing with handwashing disparities. Also Read – Don’t burn yourself while using a hand sanitizer to stay safe from COVID-19
It also advocates the fact that handwashing with soap and water is the easiest, most effective and an affordable way to prevent serious diseases and infections. Going by the ethos of this day, it’s important to think about alternative ways, like hand sanitizers, to clean hands. As the motto of the Global Handwashing Day is to encourage washing hands with soap and water, what’s it about hand sanitizers that we are ignoring? Why is a soap and water rinse still a better option than a hand sanitizer? It’s because of the side-effects they have. Also Read – DIY your own hand sanitizer during quarantine
WHAT ARE HAND SANITIZERS?
It’s portable and definitely a saviour when you get stuck in a situation where regular handwashing is nearly impossible. It’s better than eating with dirty hands to be at least satisfied that you sanitized them with a sanitizer. Hand sanitizer is now commonly used in hospitals, offices, public washrooms, restaurants and at home, places where using hand is still possible Also Read – World Hand Hygiene Day 2019: The pros and cons of using hand sanitizers
