With the threat of COVID-19 still hanging menacingly over our heads, it is our responsibility to play our part in minimising the risk of transmission of the virus. One of the simplest yet most effective things you can do, apart from practicing social distancing and wearing a mask around other people, is to keep your hands clean.
The virus usually spreads when your infected hands come in contact with the mucous membranes of your eyes, nose, or mouth. Therefore, the best way to prevent the spread is to either wash your hands with soap for 20 seconds or sanitise them regularly at key moments.
When Should I Use Hand Sanitiser?
The great thing about hand sanitiser is that it is extremely convenient to use. You will not have access to soap and running water that you can use to wash your hands at all times. This is especially true when you are traveling or are outside of your home. Instead of laboring around, trying to find a bathroom or risking your health by forgoing it, you can depend on a little bit of hand sanitiser solution to rid your hands of most germs. You can get a travel sized sanitiser bottle that you can always keep in your pocket or bag for immediate and convenient use.
If soap and water are available, it is always the preferable method to get your hands clean as it is more effective in removing all kinds of impurities and germs.
How Should I Apply Hand Sanitiser?
While many of us already use hand sanitisers on a regular basis, most of us are unaware of the proper technique to apply it onto our hands. As responsible adults, we need to know the correct way to apply sanitiser so that we can protect ourselves from potential diseases and teach others around us to do the same as well.
The Wrong Technique
We will begin with some techniques that are absolutely ineffective when it comes to the application of hand sanitiser. If you see someone applying sanitiser this way, take the opportunity to teach them the right way:
- Applying only one or two drops of sanitiser.
- Rubbing the sanitiser for only 5-10 seconds at most.
- Only covering the palms of the hand when applying the solution.
- Letting the sanitiser dry up on the hands without rubbing them.
The Correct Technique
This is the correct and most effective way to apply sanitiser to maximize its germ-killing capabilities and save yourself from harmful bacteria and viruses like the Coronavrius:
- Make sure your hands are not covered in too much dirt, oil, or grease as these substances prevent the sanitiser from reaching the skin. Either wipe it or wash it off with water.
- Squeeze out some sanitiser into the palm of your hand, around the size of a quarter or a dime.
- Rub the solution between the palm of both of your hands evenly, then move to the back.
- Make sure to rub between your fingers and under your fingernails.
- Twist your hands around your wrist a couple of times as well.
- Keep rubbing for upto 30 seconds.
- Now, allow your hands to completely dry in the air so it is absorbed into your skin. Avoid touching anything until your hands are dry.
