MYTH 1: ALCOHOL HAND SANITIZERS PROTECT ME FROM GERMS

Updated: Apr 19, 2023

August 29, 2016

Are you one of the millions of Americans who regularly use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer? If you are, then you probably use the sanitizer when you are unable to wash your hands or because it is more convenient than washing. Let me ask you a question……How many times in a day do you use the hand sanitizer? Many people who regularly use hand sanitizer, use it several times per day. Why is that? It is because our hands get dirty numerous times throughout the day because we are touching things constantly. When we touch something that we know is "dirty" or perceived to be “germy” we instinctively reach for the hand sanitizer to clean our hands and make us feel safe.

So let’s explore that safe feeling a little further. We may feel safe after using an alcohol-based hand sanitizer, but are we really safer. And an equally important question is “how long am I safe?” Here is the low down on alcohol hand sanitizers:

1. It doesn’t do what you think it does. Many people believe that using alcohol sanitizers keeps their hands clean. If used properly they will rid your hands of most of the germs on them, but they do nothing to KEEP your hands clean. In fact, leading experts say that alcohol sanitizers at best keep your hands clean for 2 minutes after use.

2. Two minutes really isn’t that long, what does that cover? A song on the radio, that video you are watching on YouTube, the time it takes to walk from your parking spot into the mall. When that 2 minutes is up your hands begin to become re-contaminated with every surface/thing/person you touch.

3. Alcohol hand sanitizers can actually be dangerous. Some of the alcohol from hand sanitizers is absorbed thru the skin and enters the bloodstream. Alcohol-based sanitizers typically are in gel form. The gel acts as a carrier for the germ-killing alcohol. The alcohol evaporates quickly from your hands, but the residue from the gel remains on your hands where it can actually help to attract dirt / germs, making your hands potentially even more contaminated than they were before you used the sanitizer. Another potential danger is that alcohol sanitizers are flammable. The internet is full of videos showing alcohol sanitizers being used to start fires, or with kids playing with burning sanitizer. Do you really want this stuff around your family?

Alcohol may be effective against germs but it also changes your skin’s natural ph balance. Your skin's natural PH level is about 5.5, which is slightly acidic. After using alcohol-based sanitizer your skin is left between an 8 & 9 on the ph scale, which is alkaline, and it strips your skin of its natural oils. The problem is that the slightly acidic natural state plus the natural oils in your skin are your skin’s natural defenders against infection and keeping things from absorbing thru your skin and into your bloodstream.

Everest Antimicrobial™ has a MUCH better solution………..Everest 24hr Hand Purifier works much better, is safer to use and has some major advantages over the leading alcohol-based sanitizers. Here are some of those advantages: • Unscented • Protects from germs for 24hrs • Does not dry out your hands • No alcohol / not flammable • No gel residue to attract dirt/germs • Continues to protect even after hand washing! • 1 application / day is all you need (really!) • Does not change your skin’s PH