Hand sanitizers

[B.J.]

I've used it exactly once. For some reason, I had an allergic reaction to the stuff and my hands broke out all red and itchy. Always wash my hands in the bathroom, though.

 

[Rocketman]

I've always used it in general. It's a great idea to do it and protect yourself the best you can.

Indeed. Hand sanitisers aren't an 'added extra' for health freaks, they're a convenience method of washing your hands when you can't do it properly.

I thought I'd re-iterate to get the point across. Depending on hand sanitisers is highly unsanitary.

 

[Kirk's_Tights]

I've always used it in general. It's a great idea to do it and protect yourself the best you can.

Indeed. Hand sanitisers aren't an 'added extra' for health freaks, they're a convenience method of washing your hands when you can't do it properly.

I thought I'd re-iterate to get the point across. Depending on hand sanitisers is highly unsanitary.

I don't 'depend' on it at all, it's just a good added bonus, especially knowing that a large number of people don't wash their hands and touch doors and other things that you will touch. It might not be 100% protection but it's a start.

 

[Trekker4747]

I've always used it in general. It's a great idea to do it and protect yourself the best you can.

Indeed. Hand sanitisers aren't an 'added extra' for health freaks, they're a convenience method of washing your hands when you can't do it properly.

I thought I'd re-iterate to get the point across. Depending on hand sanitisers is highly unsanitary.

I don't 'depend' on it at all, it's just a good added bonus, especially knowing that a large number of people don't wash their hands and touch doors and other things that you will touch. It might not be 100% protection but it's a start.

The things is, though, getting exposed to germs HELPS YOU to become immune to disease and infections. If you're never exposed to them you won't develop an immunity to them then if you're exposed to one you're screwed.

Be clean, by all means, but being sanitary isn't always a reasonable thing to do.

 

[Mr. B]

I don't understand the appeal of slimy hand sanitizer products when soap and running water is well known to be far superior. I wash my hands regularly enough but I'm of the that-which-does-not-kill-me-makes-me-stronger school of thought and am consequently not paranoid about germs.

 

[Gary Mitchell]

I don't understand the appeal of slimy hand sanitizer products when soap and running water is well known to be far superior. I wash my hands regularly enough but I'm of the that-which-does-not-kill-me-makes-me-stronger school of thought and am consequently not paranoid about germs.

Can you fit a sink in your pocket? Everyone knows that soap and running water are superior. They are not always handy though.

 

[Arrqh]

The things is, though, getting exposed to germs HELPS YOU to become immune to disease and infections. If you're never exposed to them you won't develop an immunity to them then if you're exposed to one you're screwed.

Er... what? Your body has several lines of passive immune systems in place that are in between you and the environment. All of these are designed to keep infections from getting in. Do you think those are bad too? Should we be stripping our skin away so we can give those poor pathogens a chance? Taking antacids so bacteria can make it past our stomachs? Suppress the urge to cough so we can keep any potential diseases in?

The best way to not be infected with a disease? Don't get it! The only way you're going to pick up an immunity is by getting infected, not by having it on your hands... and even then, you're only going to pick up an immunity to the exact disease in question IF it's even something your immune system can learn to fight off. If you only use hand sanitizers and never wash properly, yeah that's bad for reasons previously mentioned in this thread. But the idea that hand sanitizers, used properly as a supplement, are putting people at risk for infections is totally baseless.

 

[Timby]

The only thing that baffles me is the rise of the term "hand sanitizer." Even if it's just a gel, I've always referred to it as "hand soap." Because, well, shit -- it's cleaning your hands.

I suppose I'm similarly confused as to the rise of "body wash" products marketed to men, when it's all just liquid soap, but it's much more masculine to say that you're using body wash, not soap.

 

[Bears Discover Fire]

I keep hand sanitizer by my desk at work, as there is something in the office that gives me allergies and I find myself sneezing too frequently to get up and wash my hands every time. I really don't want to sneeze into my hands then start pawing at my keyboard, mouse, phone etc without some sort of cleaning.

Other than that, I stick to soap and water.

 

[tomalak301]

I kind of wish they were out for people to use like some places have been doing. I know they don't necessarily kill everything, but I use them if they are avaliable because it does kill some germs, and I like the smell.

 

[Rocketman]

The things is, though, getting exposed to germs HELPS YOU to become immune to disease and infections. If you're never exposed to them you won't develop an immunity to them then if you're exposed to one you're screwed.

Fortunately, even using hand sanitisers, there's no chance of people 'never being exposed' to germs. You're exposed to them every time you breathe. The moment the hand sanitiser evaporates, germs will parachute back onto the surface of your skin, and eagerly begin re-colonizing it.

Doesn't mean that hand sanitisers are necessary, or offer 'bonus' protection; they don't. People have this weird tendency to overfocus on personal hygiene, priding themselves on daily showers, daily changes of underwear, washing their hands after using the bathroom--even though their hands aren't dirty.

The little moist sponge or cloth on the kitchen counter? Nobody cares about that, even though it's one of the biggest infection hazards in the average household.

 

[Amaris]

I am OCD. I have the CEO of Purell on my speed dial.


J.

 

[cultcross]

The only thing that baffles me is the rise of the term "hand sanitizer." Even if it's just a gel, I've always referred to it as "hand soap." Because, well, shit -- it's cleaning your hands.

I suppose I'm similarly confused as to the rise of "body wash" products marketed to men, when it's all just liquid soap, but it's much more masculine to say that you're using body wash, not soap.

Well I think 'hand sanitizer' was coined to distinguish products like alcohol sprays which you rub on and then it evaporates without needing a rinse, and liquid hand soaps which you'd put by a bathroom sink and need to be lathered in water.