Top Tips for Hand Hygiene and Care

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Published on Thursday, 26 November 2020 14:03

Last Updated on 26 November 2020

Monica Costa

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In Covid times hand washing is more important than ever and as parents we need to encourage better hand hygiene practices in order to reduce the spread of infectious diseases such as the coronavirus.

Hands provide a perfect breeding ground for a wide range of bacteria and viruses. Learning how to wash hands correctly is essential to stop germs from spreading and to improve our general wellbeing. This blog will answer questions such as ‘when should we wash our hands and for how long?’ and ‘Is there a way to encourage our children to wash their hands?’ or ‘Can a hand sanitiser replace hand washing?’ and ‘Are hand sanitisers healthy for our hands?’.

When and how to wash hands

With the current pandemic, as a general rule we should wash our hands before and after preparing food, after visiting the toilet, after being on public transport, after handling rubbish, after touching pets, etc. It’s important to remember to wash hands before every meal, even if we didn’t cook it. If we are not well, it’s vital to wash our hands more frequently than usual. Having the hand washing area set up for comfort – provide a child-safe stool or a low wash basin, and make sure kids can reach the soap and towels.

Providing fun, brightly-coloured soaps or creating an appealing environment with kid-friendly décor sometimes help. Make it into a game – keep a hand washing chart and encourage children to add to it each time they wash their hands. You could even add a reward after a certain number of washes. But ultimately, the message they need to get is that the most effective method to stop spreading germs and remove bacteria is to wash our hands with soap for at least 30 seconds. Then rinse them well and either air dry them or wipe them off with a clean towel.

Hand Sanitiser

As we are often out and about even in parks these days or having a stroll, we are asked to use hand sanitisers very often. At least every time we enter a shop, when we come out and when we handle items. Hand sanitisers are everywhere but because they are now ‘compulsory’ many shops use low-quality hand sanitisers that leave our hands totally dry and damaged at the end of the day.

Most hand sanitisers have at least sixty percent alcohol with huge consequences to our skin. Or at least until now. A brand-new high-quality sanitiser, Steril-eeze Kind to hands, has just been launched in the UK. The good news about this product is that it is an advanced Hypochlorous Acid (HOCI) based ALCOHOL-FREE multi-purpose sanitiser that is highly effective (it kills 99.9% of viruses and bacteria) while being kind to our and our kids’ hands. 

Steril-eeze is proven to be just as effective as alcohol-based hand sanitisers at removing nasties from our skin. It’s also fragrance-free and feels gentler on the skin than other products that I have tried in recent months.

Obviously with families on the go and young children touching everything, Steril-eeze is the perfect option. It is also good for sensitive skin types as it does not irritate or sting like some cheap sanitisers found in supermarkets.

I have been using Steril-eeze little bottle as a hand sanitiser on the go and the bigger bottle for home cleaning. It’s such a versatile and delicate product that can be used to sanitise pretty much anything from the kitchen sink, the table, the smartphone, the work desk, and even the laptop.

What’s great about Steril-eeze is that it’s quick to dry and can be used on surfaces and hands.

Personally, I have never had a particularly sensitive skin but 2020 has been very challenging and my hands got a lot of cracks caused by an overuse of hand sanitisers. And I am not alone. Recent IPSOS research carried out for Steril-eeze during lockdown revealed that as many as 72% of women had noticed changes to the skin on their hands since using hand sanitiser. So although 98% of people said they want their hand sanitiser to kill viruses and bacteria, almost as many (96%) also want a product that doesn’t irritate their skin. I welcome the launch of Steril-eeze which has finally put on the market a product that takes care of our skin while protecting our health.

Check this video in which Medical Advisor Dr Sarah Jarvis explains how the product can be effective even without the use of alcohol.

Steril-eeze Kind to hands is available in Morrisons and Amazon.