For months, the disinfectant gel has become a fixed presence in our habits. In the meantime, washing hands has become even more important than it already had, but not everyone is clear on how, when and why to carry out one or the other hygiene procedure.
When to wash your hands and when to use the disinfectant gel? Good habits
Washing your hands is an essential tool to prevent the spread of the most common viral and bacterial infections.
When we cook, our hands are washed before and after food preparation, but also during, between one ingredient or one step and another. And, of course, before eating.
Hands always wash after using the bathroom, after blowing your nose, coughing or sneezing.
It is important to wash your hands when taking care of someone. It is valid in the case of caring for a sick person, or a child. Even more so when changing a diaper, or helping the person to use the toilet.
We wash our hands before and after dressing a wound, on ourselves or on others.
It is good to wash them after touching the animals, their feed and obviously after cleaning their excretions. Finally, after touching the garbage or cleaning.
What has changed in 2020?
Even before the spread of the Covid-19, that of washing hands was one important hygiene rule.
During the pandemic, even more attention was needed. We learned to wash our hands after visiting public places. In particular after touching handles, trolleys, counters, petrol pumps, ATMs or various screens.
We also discovered the importance of doing this before touching your eyes, nose and mouth.
When to wash your hands and when to use the disinfectant gel?
Washing your hands with soap and water is the best way to sanitize them.
It must be done correctly, which takes about 40/60 seconds. We have all seen the instructions for perfect hand cleansing at least once.
Hydroalcoholic gels are used when soap and water are not available. That’s why you can find them outside the shops and offices, and that’s why we take them with us in pocket format.
This alternative allows you to sanitize your hands quickly wherever we are.
Sanitizing gels or disinfecting gels?
The hydroalcoholic gels that we find on the market can be classified as disinfectants. In this case they have a ministerial registration number.
Otherwise we are talking about sanitizers and fall within the cosmetic products. They are not registered, but if they contain 60% alcohol they are still effective.
In both cases the gel is not enough if the hands are visibly dirty or greasy. It also does not remove all types of chemical residue.
How are gels used?
To use the gels correctly, apply a sufficient amount, which in some cases will be indicated on the package. We rub our hands together, over the entire surface of the palms and backs. We pass the fingers and the spaces between them well, continuing until the hands are dry.
It takes about 20/30 seconds.
Be careful not to let small children use the hydroalcoholic gels unsupervised!
