The most common mistakes made when sanitizing hands. Find out how to do it right!
Hand sanitizing is one of the most effective ways to prevent infectious diseases such as the flu, strep throat, hepatitis C, and many others. When done properly, it guarantees the elimination of bacteria and viruses on the hands that cause these diseases. What are the most common mistakes we make when disinfecting, and how should it be done correctly?
What is disinfection?
Disinfection is a process performed using chemical agents, the purpose of which is to destroy most pathogenic microorganisms from objects and surfaces to such an extent that their use does not pose a risk of infection or disease. This concept should not be confused with antiseptics, which are designed to destroy microorganisms on the skin.
Hands are the primary carriers of germs, and hand hygiene—that is, thorough washing with soap and water, as well as disinfection—are the most important factors in preventing the transmission of bacteria and viruses that cause many diseases. The most common of these include the flu, strep throat, herpes, scarlet fever, and the so-called stomach flu. However, the hands can also harbor microorganisms that are far more dangerous to health and life, including fecal bacteria, E. coli, and Staphylococcus aureus, which can lead to infections, dangerous complications, and even death. Dangerous viruses that cause, for example, hepatitis A and E also reside on the skin of the hands. All of these are transmitted, among other ways, through touch, and the risk of infection is reduced by hand disinfection.
True disinfection—that is, disinfection performed with broad-spectrum agents—is a process that guarantees the removal of 99.999% of all microorganisms from the surface of the hands. Only this high level of effectiveness protects (especially vulnerable individuals) against infection and disease.
When should you disinfect your hands?
The risk of infection with pathogenic microorganisms increases wherever we are exposed to contact with foreign bacterial flora, i.e., outside our own home. It is particularly high in public places, where we touch many objects that are not washed or disinfected and have been used (touched) by thousands of other people. Therefore, after every time we are outside the home, and especially in a public place, for our own safety, we should disinfect our hands with a specialized medical product that demonstrates a 99.999% kill rate, such as a hand sanitizer spray: https://dezynfekcja.pl/medisept-spray-do-dezynfekcji-rak-50ml,3,37556,10194.
Common mistakes in hand sanitizing
Not everyone knows this, but to achieve the best disinfection results, we should follow a proven procedure that guarantees effectiveness—that is, killing most of the pathogenic microorganisms present on the hands. Below are the 5 most common mistakes made during hand disinfection:
- Disinfection time is too short.
- Using too little product.
- Leaving jewelry on your hands.
- Applying the sanitizer to wet skin—diluting the solution.
- Incorrect disinfection technique.
Improper disinfection carries the risk of leaving enough microorganisms on the skin of the hands to cause infection and illness. Therefore, if we are going to use a disinfectant, we should perform this action correctly.
How to properly disinfect your hands?
Before disinfecting your hands, you should first remove any jewelry and accessories. One of the most effective methods, recommended by the World Health Organization (WHO), is hand sanitizing according to the Ayliffe method, which involves applying the sanitizer to your hands and performing specific movements in 6 steps.
