Hand Washing 101: Plain water and soap combination is still a good way.

Hand washing is undoubtedly the best way to prevent spread of infectious diseases. Soap manufacturers always come up with innovative products that “enhance” this preventive techniques. We see ads on TV about how effectively hand sanitizers and antibacterial soaps prevent germs which almost always convince the consumers. Recent studies however say that washing hands with ordinary soap and water for 15 seconds reduces bacterial counts by about 90%. But even people who are conscientious about washing their hands often make the mistake of not drying them properly. Wet hands are more likely to spread germs than dry ones. Harvard Health Letter

Soap manufacturers found a good way to convince consumer more in buying their products through antibacterials additives. But experts fear that antibiotic resistance, which is now one of the major health concerns, might result from use of these antibacterial soaps. Further, research shows that these additives don’t add much on hand hygiene. Thus, this serves as a useful reminder that antibacterial soaps aren’t the all-purpose germ fighters that many people think they are.

A more recent innovation is the use of alcohol-based hand sanitizers. Consumers find it the most convenient way to prevent infectious when water and soap are out of reach. But alcohol does not kill everything, and people should be reminded that it should not be the only cleaner available in health care settings.

The newsletter gave tips on how to effectively kill germs through hand washing with soap and water or hand sanitizer:

1. Spread cleaner over hands.
2. Clean backs.
3. Clean fingertips.
4. Clean fingernails.
5. Clean thumbs.
6. Clean between fingers.
7. When using hand sanitizer, be sure that you use a large amounts of it.

Bottom line is, your ordinary soap and clean water are already sufficient to prevent infections without spending more on these new products.