Even though we are in the middle of summer, it doesn’t mean that illness-causing germs have decided to take a vacation. Regardless of the time of the year, it is important for us to stay healthy.
We all know that hand hygiene – washing hands with soap and water or using an alcohol-based hand sanitizer when hands are not visibly soiled – is one the best preventive measures you can take to reduce the transfer of illness-causing germs. But, did you know that using an alcohol-based hand sanitizer and hand sanitizing wipes also has an impact on decreasing the spread of germs in the home?
Alcohol-based Hand Sanitizers Significantly Reduce the Spread of Germs in Homes
I was part of a team of researchers from GOJO and the University of Arizona that found the use of an alcohol-based hand sanitizer had a significant impact on reducing the movement and exposure of germs to the members of a household. While it is widely known that an alcohol-based hand sanitizer, like PURELL® Advanced Hand Sanitizer, is proven to kill 99.99% of germs on hands, this new study, recently published in the Journal of Food and Environmental Virology, found alcohol-based hand sanitizers also reduce the transfer of germs between people’s hands and to commonly touched surfaces within a household by up to 99%.1
This study found that germs can easily spread from one person’s hands to surfaces throughout a house, including remote controls, door knobs and faucets within eight hours. Use of an alcohol-based hand sanitizer at least once per day significantly reduced the concentration of germs on both the hands and commonly touched household surfaces in the studied households. So what does this all mean?
This study shows that using an effective, well-formulated alcohol-based hand sanitizer is a great way to reduce the spread of germs to both hands and commonly touched surfaces. It also demonstrates how important it is to have an alcohol-based hand sanitizer in key places around the home like the kitchen, bathroom and nursery.
Using Hand Sanitizing Wipes in Homes
Another study, also conducted with the University of Arizona, showed a risk reduction of illness up to 89%, with use of PURELL® Hand Sanitizing Wipes in the home at least once per day.2 While alcohol-based hand sanitizers are a superior product for reducing germ transmission, wipes have the added benefit of removing soils. Wipes are a convenient way to both clean and sanitize the hands and reduce the transmission of illness-causing germs with one easy step.
For more information on PURELL Advanced Hand Sanitizer and PURELL Hand Sanitizing Wipes, go to
purell.com