Current Events > What's the difference between hand sanitizer and soap?

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Just curious. I keep seeing on the news that hand sanitizers are on short supply yet I keep hearing that we should all wash our hands for 20 seconds when we can.

so whats the point of hand sanitizer? Whats the difference? Why is hand sanitizer so sought after but not soap?

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I mean I know the difference to be honest but I dont understand the difference in demand.

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Hand sanitizer evaporates on your hand where as soap requires water and aggitation in order to properly clean.

Sanitizer is more practical in a work environment. At least for most people.

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something being clean and something being sanitized are different things

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Pinotage posted...

something being clean and something being sanitized are different things

Ok so you can sanitize your hands but whats stopping your hands from being unsanitary just a few minutes later?

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For the express purposes of the coronavirus, the soap tears through the outer shell of the virus and the water washes it away.

You wash your hands for 20 seconds to ensure a good covering of all of your hands

I expected a joke :(

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Hand sanitizers are portable. Most people that need to be constantly watching out for their health are usually people that are out there working, potentially in danger of contracting the virus.

Even if your work had a sink and soap to wash your hands with, it would get cumbersome really quickly to frequently run to the bathroom to wash and rinse your hands.


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Beyond01 posted...

Ok so you can sanitize your hands but whats stopping your hands from being unsanitary just a few minutes later?

So, hand sanitizer kills 99.99% of germs. Pretty much the moment the sanitizer dries, your body starts collecting and creating bacteria once more. Everything has bacteria on it, there is even bacteria floating around in the air we breathe.

The idea is that sanitizer kills germs and bacteria that can be found on doorknobs, pens, money, pretty much anything we interact with. If you read the packaging it usually says something to the effect of "prevents the spread of bacteria" since it kills what is already on your hands.

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Hand soap is selling out as well. Sanitizer is really only useful if there's not a sink readily available.

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A lot of people seem to not know how soap works. Its just bubbles. Lather bubbles trap particles, then it gets washed down the drain with water. That's it. It doesn't kill anything.

Hand sanitizer actually kills the stuff.

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Yadoken posted...

A lot of people seem to not know how soap works. Its just bubbles. Lather bubbles trap particles, then it gets washed down the drain with water. That's it. It doesn't kill anything.

Hand sanitizer actually kills the stuff.

So does antibacterial soap.

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Soap is better specifically for the coronavirus because the soap breaks down fat and coronavirus is basically just balls of fat.

Hand sanitizer is also good but specifically for the coronavirus its not as effective as washing your hands with soap

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one sanitised your hand, the other one cleanse it.

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Ricemills posted...

one sanitised your hand, the other one cleanse it.

This is actually a good distinction as some sanitizers can leave a sticky or greasy residue on your hands.

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Alcohol.

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Again, alcohol(main disinfecting agent in sanitizer) does absolutely nothing against the coronavirus. Soap and bleach are the only household things that work against it, and I don't recommend putting bleach on your skin.

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pres_madagascar posted...

Again, alcohol(main disinfecting agent in sanitizer) does absolutely nothing against the coronavirus. Soap and bleach are the only household things that work against it, and I don't recommend putting bleach on your skin.

Christ, stop spreading false information. You ****er, you should be warned for that kind of BS.

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