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Clean Hands and Sanitizers

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You needn’t be scared of getting your hands dirty. Truthfully, our hands don’t have to be hospital clean all the time.

I recall when Purell came out in the mid-nineties claiming to “kill ‘99.99%’ of most common germs that may cause illness in as little as 15 seconds.” Mostly, it gave us shortcut. No longer did we have to take that painful 6 yard stroll to the sink. We could now reach into our pockets and pull it out (sanitize your mind; I’m talking about the bottle). Humans love the easy way. As a nation, we are addicted to the stuff. There are wipes at supermarkets, stations at work and opportunities to purchase bottles at every check out station everywhere. Why? From Time magazine:

Over the past couple of decades, consumer-products companies have found a target rich market in exploiting this history of germ aversion. They have launched wave after wave of microbe-seeking toilet-bowl cleaners, dish detergents, mouthwashes and, no doubt, floor polishes.

Right, money. It’s the answer to every similar question.

As we often talk about in this blog, shortcuts are often fool’s gold, and, in this case, a particularly harmful one. From the same Time article:

According a recent World Health Organization report, our obsession with germ killing has resulted in antibiotic-resistant bacteria in every corner of the globe, thanks in part to our willy-nilly use of wide-spectrum antibiotics and, yes, our love of hand sanitizer.

Your body needs exposure to germs to adequately protect itself. From CNN:

Keeping things clean is smart, but going crazy using antibacterial hand soaps, buying antibacterial kids’ toys and other products and overusing antibiotic medications is actually killing off the microbes that can help strengthen the immune system.

Because we’re obsessively killing off insignificant germs, we’ve managed to simultaneously hurt our immune system and contribute to the proliferation of really nasty germs, even if you’re only using alcohol based sanitizers. Not to worry, there is a solution. Wash your hands. Then use hand sanitizer. Then wash the sanitizer off your hands. Perfect. You’re ready to eat.

Sure, if you’re working in your garden with fertilizer or doing something particularly unsanitary, clean your mitts however you see fit. However, dirt don’t hurt. If you want to have a wash, grab a bar of soap (or not), damn it. From the CDC:

Washing hands prevents illnesses and spread of infections to others. Handwashing with soap removes germs from hands.

Simplicity is beautiful,

Kap

  • tpj

    You made my day, I was just having this conversation with the Mrs and you made me look good. What are your thoughts on getting or not getting a Flu Shot?

  • http://twitter.com/Matt1J Matt (@Matt1J)

    Purely anecdotal, but from my experience those that go crazy w/ the sanitizers are the ones that get sick the most. Even if it kills 99.9% of the germs, the 0.1% that survive are the strongest and most likely to harm you. What’s worse is mutation. So now, not only can you not kill it, it’s mutating and in some cases becoming more dangerous.

  • https://twitter.com/athleticone01 MIchelle

    So you’re saying I can stop wearing my full body suit with four pairs of gloves to the gym? Cool.

  • Ed H

    What’s amazing is not only is the world dumbing down every day, we actually pay to become stupid. Let’s agree, hospitals are a pretty good place for Purell, but beyond that? Excluding the participants of this site and anyone using a similar playbook, We’re a society that doesn’t know how to eat, doesn’t know how to clean and doesn’t, doesn’t accept what’s killings, doesn’t move enough for our hearts to stay fit and doesn’t even know the correct way to poop.

    I focus on me and share whatever anyone around is wanting. But spare myself the alienation of trying to actively educate (outside of my family).

    • Joel Sproul

      Oh shit, I think I missed that post, Ed. What is the correct way to poop? (not trying to be snarky, either).

      • Ed H

        In a squat position (like a baseball catcher). It lines up your tract and cues the system that it’s time to go. The comfort of the standard toilet makes it difficult to perform correctly, though you can improvise by leaning forward and elevating the knees.

        Ever notice a dog crouches up in a distorted position. It’s not to avoid pooping on itself. The damn thing is born smarter than we are about it’s own process.

        • http://twitter.com/Matt1J Matt (@Matt1J)

          No, we know how to go to bathroom. It’s not learned behavior. Funny part is, if you go to bathroom correct way, you don’t need toilet paper.

          • Ed H

            I won’t test your assertion, but can say you’re more likely to complete the job when doing it right (like most tasks, I guess)….

          • http://twitter.com/Matt1J Matt (@Matt1J)

            Just go camping and go in the woods.

      • Ed H

        …. and back to my comment about alienating myself. Could you imaging the reaction I’d get by offering to teach how to poop….

        • ~Al~

          Who…does…#2…work for!

  • M.squared

    I live by the philosophy of not touching my face/mouth if I haven’t washed my hands.
    Generally, I believe this is how many get sick.

    Additionally, I am cognizant of particularly bacteria hefty environments…. i.e - door handles, the gym, hospitals, BART train, parts of San Francisco (ecoli anyone?? staph?)

    Read you mañana.

  • ~Al~

    I bust out the 20 Mule Team Borax and pressure washer and have my Old Lady spray me down when I get to stinkin’.

    ~Al~

    • Ed H

      Which month does that usually fall in :) ?

      • ~Al~

        C’mon Ed…you know I’m a respected professional!

        At least once a month to answer your question though. Totally at her discretion. It’s my clothes that receive an annual cleaning or when the Acqua Di Gio just isn’t cutting it anymore.

  • Paul

    I agree that the anti-bacteria craze is overkill. I swear, the more I make an effort to wash
    my hands, the more often I get sick, catch colds,etc. A friend of mine would refuse to close
    the bathroom door, flush the toilet, wash his hands at bars,etc.- avoid contact with other
    people’s hands.

    Wasn’t there an earlier comment on another post comparing soap brands? There is both
    good & bad bacteria. Like the previous poster, I like to use Irish Spring aloe soap, not an
    antibacterial soap or Purell.

  • Gavin

    Love your last sentence. Our society simply cannot handle Simplicity. And let’s face it, Simplicity can’t sell s***. The irony is that people buy a good or service largely in the hope of making life easier. But Over-Complication feeds off our insatiable appetite for easier and easier forms of ease. Next time I will just say, “Amen, simplicity is beautiful”, rather than over-expound…

  • http://kbeyazdancer.wordpress.com kbeyazdancer

    BeHad a but of a nerdgasm when I read this post. The general public is spoon feed way too many things are bacteria and viruses by this companies. I can say this because I am an infectious disease scientist who actually works with both bacteria and viruses. Many of us scientists get together and discuss how misinformed people are and how little our own family members listen to our advice.

    I apologize for the mini rant: first, you need exposure to germs to fight them. There have been numerous studies that show that children who live and work on farms have incredible immune systems because they are actually exposed to more germs as opposed to kids from the city. Second, quit touching your face! That’s probably one of the biggest mistakes people make. Third, keep a clean kitchen (fridge and counters) and bathroom (pay attention to all of it but most people neglect their showers more than anything else). And lastly, I saw this in some of the comments above, if you need to touch a public door knob such as a bathroom, use a paper towel.

    I could go on and on about this because I’m passionate and misinformation drives me crazy. Old wives tales can be just as much a culprit as as advertisers. You can go to the websites for CDC & WHO or NIH for info. As Gabe posted recently, “don’t be sheep-wear your wool only when you need it!”
    -Kelebek

    • Ed H

      Personally, I like rants by true experts in their fields. You offer a better avenue to learn from…..

      • http://kbeyazdancer.wordpress.com kbeyazdancer

        Thank you Ed!