Swine flu fears have people everywhere doing anything and everything to avoid the potentially serious ailment. From face masks to disinfectant wipes there are all sorts of preventatives in use as people try and dodge this latest bad news bug. One of the most popular continues to be the use of readily available disinfectant hand sanitizers. However not everyone uses these products correctly, and not all products do enough to kill the germs that cause illnesses such as the H1N1 swine flu.

The New York Times and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported as early as 2006 that not all hand sanitizers did what was advertised. According to the CDC a sanitizer has to have a minimum alcohol content of 60% to be effective at all against the causes of common illnesses such as intestinal infections, colds, strep, or flu bugs. Many times store brand sanitizers or other lower-priced alternatives will contain only 40% ethyl alcohol. It’s important for consumers to check the label to see what level of alcohol a give product contains.

Beyond using the proper sanitizer health official warn that not all users use these products properly.

First and foremost hands cannot be visibly soiled with hand sanitizers are used. It’s important to remember that these products contain no soap and aren’t intended to be used as a replacement for washing hands with soap and hot water. If hands are visibly soiled they must be cleaned before sanitizers are used. It’s also important that hands are dried with a hot-air dryer or paper towels. Using cloth towels is convenient but is also a good way to spread germs from user to user.

Once hands are clean and dry that is the time to use sanitizers. At least a quarter-sized dollop of sanitizer should be used, and it should be spread between all the fingers, across the nails, and down the wrist to roughly the wristwatch. Users should rub the sanitizer into the skin until hands appear dry. A good rule of thumb is that if hands are dry after only 10 to 15 seconds of rubbing, then not enough sanitizer was used.

As people strive to stay well during this more vigorous than usual flu season hand sanitizers are a good weapon to have in the arsenal. Proper use of these products, and a little smart shopping to pick the right one, can give people a leg up on staying healthy this winter.

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