All About Hand Rubs and Hand Sanitisers

Have you ever wondered how a liquid has the potential to destroy the lethal virus that has turned our lives upside down? Probably not!

In this article, you will learn the difference between alcohol rub and alcohol sanitiser and how sanitisers actually work.

The pandemic made us all aware of the magic that sanitisers by famous brands like Avagard can do. But as you all know, hand sanitisers and hand rubs have been in place for a long time. Sadly, only a few cared to use it before the COVID-19 pandemic. There is a lot you need to know, and the working of hand sanitisers is one of those things.

Table of Contents

Difference Between Alcohol Rub and Alcohol Sanitiser

Hand rubs and Hand sanitisers have been used in the medical industry for a long time. Rubs are usually used to clean devices and medical tools. In contrast, Sanitisers are used for removing any traces of germs from hands or similar regions.

Hand sanitisers and hand rubs both contain alcohol, but the difference between them is pretty noteworthy. Here are a few points to explain the difference-

Sanitisers have a gel-like consistency, while rubs are runny liquids.
The alcohol concentration in rubs is more than sanitisers.
Alcohol rubs are more effective than alcohol sanitisers.
Alcohol sanitisers contain moisturising elements, but rubs don’t. As a result, frequent use of rubs can irritate/harm your skin.

How Does Sanitiser Work?

Ethyl alcohol (commonly known as ethanol), isopropyl alcohol (isopropanol), or benzalkonium chloride are the active ingredients in most hand sanitisers.

Hand sanitisers comprise approximately 60% alcohol, and their effectiveness is solely dependent on the qualities and potential of this hydrocarbon.

The percentage of alcohol in the hand sanitiser also affects its effectiveness. For example, solutions containing as low as 30% alcohol can kill some pathogens, whereas solutions containing more than 60% alcohol can kill a broader range of bacteria and viruses.

Alcohols kill disease-causing agents, or pathogens, by dissolving proteins, severing cells, or disrupting a cell’s metabolism. Another advantage of alcohol is that the bacteria it kills do not acquire resistance to it; thus, it does not lose its efficacy with time.

However, it’s important to remember that while alcohol-based hand sanitisers might lower the number of microorganisms on your hands quickly in some conditions, they don’t kill all types of germs. Further, if organic matter (dirt, food, or other substance) is visible on hands, waterless hand sanitisers are ineffective.

Benefits of Hand Sanitiser

You might be aware of quite a lot of benefits of using hand sanitisers. The following are a few of them:

It requires less time than hand washing;
Hand sanitisers are available and can be used almost anywhere;
It helps in reducing bacterial counts on the hands;
Pathogens do not develop antimicrobial resistance by their use;
Hand sanitisers are less irritating to the skin than soap and water;
They start working instantly.

Summing It Up!

Hand sanitisers and hand rubs are wonderful inventions. They helped in keeping the frontline workers safe and in lowering the speed of virus flow. Please note that you should buy these life-saving liquids only from trusted brands like Avagard.

Now that you know everything about rubs and sanitisers, use them to prevent infections.

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