Does rubbing hands kill germs

Answer 1

• Frequent hand washing is the BEST way to NOT get colds and the flu. BUT do it right: HOT water, and SOAP, and do it for at least as long as it takes you to SING the national anthem, from start to finish. You do know the words, right? The point here is this: most people don't wash LONG enough, and don't use soap, every time.

• Some researchers now say that antibacterial soaps and gels may cause more harm than good. They remove beneficial bacteria on your skin, and may cause bacteria to mutate. Regular old soap is best. As stated above, the best line of defense against all kinds of illness is hand washing. It doesn't have to be hot water - any temp will be effective. Try singing happy birthday twice while washing your hands.

• It's an ad sham to use antibacterial soaps or gels. We have good bacteria on our skin and when we use these antibacterial products they not only strip that good bacteria, but also strip the oils in the skin causing chapped and sometimes lesions on the skin which in turn will do you more harm because the lesions are open and will pick up bacteria. Soap and water is all you need.

See more information about hand washing and protecting yourself from microbes in the related questions section.

Answer 2

No. Washing hands only removes germs - and not 100%. The action of rubbing the hands with the soap and warm water loosens the microbes from your skin. The water rinses them away.

One study by a paper towel manufacturer (surprise!) showed that using a paper towel to dry the hands left fewer bacteria than using a hand dryer.

Washing hands can kill bacteria if an antimicrobial handsoap is used. But the fact that the washing does not remove all the microbes is why hand sanitizers are recommended. The sanitizers actually kill many of the bad guys that remain on the skin.

Answer 3

The alcohol-based waterless hand sanitizers are very good at killing bacteria, many viruses - including cold and flu viruses*, and fungi, but they do not kill spores. Non-alcohol based hand sanitizers vary in active ingredients, but in general, they are less effective with viruses and some bacteria than the alcohol based cleansers and definitely better than nothing. All require that you follow the directions for use precisely and that you start with hands that are not all mucked up, they can not work with really dirty hands. Using soap and warm water is still the best all around method of washing hands to remove germs. See the related questions below for more information.

*Since viruses are not living organisms, they are really "inactivated" and not "killed", but that is virtually the same thing.

Answer 4

The active ingredient in most waterless hand sanitizers is ethyl alcohol. Alcohol kills most all bacteria by damaging their plasma membranes. It kills fungi and other infective vegetative microbes, but can not kill spores. It can "kill" or deactivate many viruses. The action that kills the germs is the ability of alcohol to "dissolve" or denature proteins that make up the coating or walls of the germs allowing their cell contents to leak out. It also will denature the proteins inside the cells rendering them ineffective at their jobs. The proteins on the outside of the bacteria or viruses can no longer act as a barrier when subjected to alcohol. It impedes the action of the proteins on the outside of viruses that are used to attach to host cells allowing the virus to be able to infect the cell and replicate.

More:

You need to use one that is a minimum of 60% alcohol to be effective in killing the germs and you must follow the label directions exactly. Alcohol content of higher than 70 - 80% is really not more effective to kill germs than those 60 - 80% because some water is needed in the solution to be most effective.

The action of the hand sanitizers with alcohol both kills the germs and removes them (including virus particles) from your hands with the action of friction as you rub them briskly and continuously until your hands are completely dry. Rub for a minimum of 30 seconds or longer if not yet dry. Exposure of the germs to alcohol sanitizers for shorter periods than 20 seconds will likely not be effective and you will not have rubbed long enough to remove them from your hands. If you apply the sanitizer and your hands are already dry at 15 seconds, you have not used enough of the sanitizer to keep it active long enough before evaporated to be effective.

Washing with soap and warm water is still the most effective way to clean hands. If your hands are dirty with foreign matter, they should be washed to remove that before use of the sanitizer.

Answer 5

The truth is no. It only spreads it around. Plus, it would all wash off next time you would wash your hands. Use a household cleanser instead.

Answer 6

not all of them but most of them