How to choose an effective hand sanitizing gels

With the emergence of Covid-19 worldwide, the World Health Organization issued a set of measures and recommendations to prevent infection.

The most important are: the use of masks, social distancing and – the most important – frequent hand washing with soap and water for at least 20 seconds.

With hand-washing facilities not available on every street corner, the purchase of hand sanitizing gels has increased. Everyone wants to have a container of gel and sanitize their hands when needed.

The fear of becoming infected with this virus has led to the compulsive purchase of this type of product, without knowing what are the minimum characteristics necessary for it to be an effective product against the coronavirus.

In this article you will learn what the differences are between hand sanitizers, those that kill bacteria versus those that eradicate viruses, why they should contain high levels of ethanol and where to get the perfect sanitizers.

What should I consider when choosing a hand sanitizer gel?

There are several features to consider when choosing a hand sanitizer gel, which is efficient and protects you while you can not perform the traditional washing.

Manufacturers of hand sanitizer gel must place on the sticker of the packaging the registration number of the company in the Agency for the Evaluation of Medicines and Medical Devices, which is an entity under the Ministry of Health.

By passing the Agency’s controls, it is a proof that it also passed the conditions of the Ministry of Health to market medical devices.

In addition, within the label it must mention if the product complies with the UNE EN 14476 standard, which states that the product eliminates viruses from the hands. Failing to find this, the product is not suitable for use against coronavirus.

Although these hand sanitizers are effective and proven by scientists, these products cause skin dryness or irritation due to high levels of alcohol.

To counteract this secondary reaction, the use of moisturizer before bedtime is encouraged, until the hands are recovered.

Remember that for a hand sanitizer gel to be effective against Covid-19, it is important that it has more than 70% ethanol among its compounds.

Despite the high demand for hand sanitizers in the midst of this extraordinary situation, fair prices range from 3 € to 5 € for a 100 ml bottle.

Differences between a virucidal hand sanitizer and a bactericidal hand sanitizer

Hand sanitizing gels were created to eliminate most or all of the bacteria that lodge on the hands when touching any object, avoid distributing them to more objects and prevent illnesses or conditions caused by bacteria.

In case of a highly contagious virus such as Covid-19, it is importantto have an efficient hand sanitizer gel with real capacity to eliminate the virus.

Hand gel that contains 70% alcohol in its composition acts against viruses, bacteria and fungi. If it contains less than that amount, it will only kill some types of bacteria or reduce their growth.

In addition to containing alcohol in a high percentage, it is imperative that it be ethyl alcohol.

Ethyl alcohol is the strongest alcohol and has the greatest ability to kill viruses and bacteria.

Importance of ethanol as a component of hand sanitizer gel

The best method to prevent infection with Covid-19 virus – or any other virus – is frequent hand washing for 20 seconds with soap.

However, you may not be able to get bathrooms equipped with soap effective in removing viruses.

To solve that problem, agencies such as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the World Health Organization urge people to use hand sanitizer gels with 70% ethyl alcohol.

Similarly, they stress that they are of little use in removing viruses when hands are dirty or have grease on them, because they form a film that fails to remove.

The hand sanitizers that are manufactured in different companies, 95% of the time use ethyl alcohol, benzalkonium chloride and isopropyl alcohol as main compounds.

There are hand sanitizers that are sold with or without a prescription, depending on the ingredients with which they have been manufactured.

In view of the health situation that is being experienced, the agencies that administer food and medicines in each country have set to work to ensure that all hand sanitizers are safe and efficient in eliminating viruses.

Given the scarcity of hand sanitizers, thousands of recipes on how to make them have circulated, but they are not always the best alternative, especially if the indications of official agencies are not followed.

If the disinfectant is to be made at home, it is important to add 99% alcohol to ensure the reduction or elimination of viruses and bacteria.

To complement this measure it is important to leave shoes outside the house when returning from the street, wash your hands with soap and water for 20 minutes, avoid touching your face when in the street and when coughing, cover with the inside of your elbow.

Hand sanitizer gel to your home

In Monouso’s online store, we offer you useful products for your home, restaurant or catering business, but we always focus on what will benefit you the most.

For this reason, we expanded our Hygiene Products section to incorporate the hydroalcoholic hand sanitizer gel -in different presentations- so you can clean your hands while you take care of them and eliminate viruses.

In addition to being an effective hand sanitizer capable of removing more than 90% of viruses, it contains panthenol to protect your hands from the dryness caused by high levels of alcohol.

Add the products you wish to purchase to the shopping cart, confirm the order and it will be shipped to the most convenient address for you in less than 48 hours.