I can still hear my mother's voice when we were small children: "wash your hands."
Good advice. Problem is, while most of us probably do wash our hands, we're probably not doing a very good job and not killing germs that can make us sick.
Infectious disease specialists at the University of Rochester Medical Center say it really doesn't matter if you are using hand sanitizer or plain old soap and water. What is important is that you spend 20 seconds washing your hands.
That means don't just slather on hand sanitizer and expect it to miraculously kill any bacteria on your hands. You need to rub vigorously for 20 seconds. Washing not just the palms, but the top of the hands, in between the fingers and behind the nails.
20 seconds doesn't seem like a long time, but if you actually count while you are washing, it is longer than you might think. You can also sing Happy Birthday twice or recite your ABC's. Whatever works.
Nancy O'Connor, an RN in the Infection Prevention Department at the U of R Medical Center, says don't believe the myth that hand sanitizers shouldn't be overused because they kill all the good germs on our hands.
O'Connor says "you don't want any bacteria on your hands, good or bad." Infectious disease specialist Doctor Goeffrey Weinberg agrees. Dr. Weinberg says the important thing is killing bacteria that causes contagious illnesses.
Soap versus hand sanitizers? Both are effective, doctors say, as long as your technique is right, and you wash your hands thoroughly. Doctors prefer hand sanitizers because they are convenient.
Are all hand sanitizers created equal? Not always. The brand name isn't really important. What is key, the percentage of alcohol in the product. Doctor Weinberg says to be effective at killing germs, hand sanitizers should contain at least 60-80 percent alcohol.
Why not just use regular old rubbing alcohol to sanitize your hands? "It's too drying," says Doctor Weinberg.
So remember what your mother told you and wash your hands!
Just make sure you are doing it right!!!
