Advantages of Alcohol Hand Sanitizer

• Taking time to wash hands before and after certain activities throughout the day can greatly reduce the spread of germs and disease. People tend to avoid this simple task, however, for a variety of reasons. They might not have time, or they might not be near soap and water. The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) therefore recommends the use of alcohol-based hand sanitizers.
  
  

Soap and Water Not Required

• The CDC recommends washing hands before and after many activities: eating, preparing food, touching blood or bodily fluids, changing a diaper, using the bathroom, handling animals, dressing a wound and coming in contact with a sick person. However, many people do not bother because they are not near a sink. Using an alcohol hand sanitizer takes away the need for water and soap---the alcohol kills germs without them. An inconvenient location no longer prevents people from cleaning their hands.
  
  

Less Time to Wash

• The CDC provides a checklist describing how to wash your hands, as well as recommendations about when to do it. When using soap and water, one must wet hands thoroughly, rub hands vigorously to lather the soap, get the soap on all surfaces (palms, fingers, wrists, under nails), continue rubbing for twenty seconds to remove all germs, rinse hands well and use a paper towel or air dryer to dry them. The CDC's rules for using hand sanitizer are as follows: squeeze into palm of hand and rub over all surfaces until dry. Most people don't know and/or don't follow the CDC's recommendations for washing hands with soap and water. Alcohol-based hand sanitizers provide people with a much easier and faster way to stay clean.
  
  

Easier on Skin

• According to DrGreene.com, using soap and water can leave the hands feeling dry rather than clean, which is another reason people do not wash their hands as often as they should. Alcohol-based hand sanitizer does not take the moisture out of skin.
  
  

Better Hygiene

• Alcohol-based hand sanitizers encourage people to have better hygiene. They are easy to use, can be used quickly and can be brought anywhere. The convenient small bottles can be left in purses, cars, desks---wherever a person decides to leave them.
  
  

Safe Ingredients

• Ethyl alcohol, the main ingredient in alcohol-based hand sanitizers, has been used medically as a natural antiseptic for hundreds of years because it is safe and effective and doesn't leave behind any residue. Other antibacterial products contain synthetic chemicals like triclosan and quaternary ammonium to kill germs.