COVID-19 SOAP OR DISINFECTANT TO FIGHT IT?

Hand Soap or Sanitizer: The Best Way to Fight COVID-19

If you’re like us, then you’ve spent the last few weeks being inundated with information about the best ways to avoid COVID-19, commonly known as coronavirus. With new information coming out every day, it can be hard to know what’s true and what’s not.

Experts are still figuring out exactly how the virus is transmitted, how long it can live on surfaces, and how to best prevent the spread. The effectiveness of hand sanitizers versus soap is a particularly contentious debate. We’re here to set the record straight.

Something as simple as washing your hands can be detrimental to the virus.

At this point, if you were to go looking for a bottle of hand sanitizer, you’d be hard-pressed to find it. Within days of the first case being confirmed in France, supermarkets and online retailers were out of hand sanitizer and continuing to scramble to keep other chemicals on the shelves. Despite all the hype and increasing scarcity of products, with customers hoarding up to 17,700 bottles of hand sanitizer, new information suggests that soap may be a far superior alternative.

The coronavirus disease can actually be considered quite fragile. This is because the virus does not contain a ribosome and therefore cannot make its own proteins. It is completely dependent on its host and is particularly fond of our skin due to its organic composition. The dead skin cells on our hands act as a magnet for the virus on an infected surface.

Viruses are made up of genetic material, proteins, and lipids (or fats). The coronavirus, in particular, is surrounded by a protective lipid envelope that can be broken down relatively easily compared to other, more resistant forms of the virus. While scientists now understand that the virus can live on surfaces for a few days, something as simple as washing your hands can be more detrimental to the virus than the much-coveted hand sanitizers.

For one thing, not all hand sanitizers are created equal. The CDC recommends using a hand sanitizer that contains at least 60% alcohol. Anything less will be ineffective at killing the virus. Additionally, while a high-alcohol sanitizer may break down the virus, it won’t completely remove it from your skin. Soap, on the other hand, is able to disinfect thanks to its ability to break down and loosen the adhesion of bacteria and viruses to your skin. The fatty molecules in soap are able to trap the virus, allowing them to wash away with water. To get the same results with sanitizer, you’d actually have to soak your hands completely, since a quick bar of soap doesn’t guarantee that you’ll disinfect all of your skin.

Additionally, using chemical-based cleaners and sanitizers may actually cause more harm than good. It’s no secret that inhaling chemicals can be harmful to your health. As a respiratory illness, coronavirus can be further exacerbated by environmental factors. Many of the toxic chemicals in alcohol-based bleaches or cleaning products can lead to additional respiratory issues if inhaled regularly over time. This is NOT what “cleaning” our skin should look like!

Once you’ve lathered on an ethanol-based sanitizer a few times, you’re likely to be left with scaly, lifeless skin. Continued use can cause irritation and increased skin sensitivity, leading to dry skin that’s devoid of healthy natural oils. Once damaged, skin is much more vulnerable to infection. And if you have notoriously sensitive skin, you may even be left with a lasting irritation that you’ve been working so hard to soothe.

To combat this issue, we recommend ditching sanitizer whenever possible and opting for a goat milk soap instead. Choosing an all-natural, skin-nourishing soap over a sanitizer will make a world of difference for your skin and potentially your health.

After washing, it is also recommended to dry your hands completely with a clean towel or, better yet, paper towels. Experts have found that bacteria and viruses are more likely to attach to wet hands than dry ones. If you use hand towels, remember to change them frequently.

Also remember to let the soap dry well using a suitable, draining soap dish so that the soap does not sit in water.

Whether you’ve been using wipes, hand sanitizer, or traditional soap, your hands are probably feeling a bit less supple. Luckily, with government-mandated shutdowns and heightened awareness of social distancing, many of us are faced with an abundance of free time. This is the perfect opportunity to treat yourself to a little at-home spa treatment! Start with an all-natural sugar scrub to remove the layer of dead, dehydrated skin you’ve accumulated over the past few weeks. You’ll be amazed at the soft, glowing skin underneath. To maintain your glowing skin, be sure to apply a generous layer of your favorite goat milk lotion throughout the day. By taking these steps, you’re ensuring that you’re protecting your skin and your health.

These are uncertain times and it is up to all of us to take every small step we can to protect ourselves and those around us. Handwashing goes a long way to reducing the spread of viruses and illnesses and keeping us healthy. If you only have access to a bottle of hand sanitizer - by all means use it. But if you have the option of washing your hands with soap, do so, it is even better.

Let's do everything we can to stay healthy by following the official recommendations of good practices. Love&Soap supports you and informs you to resist this difficult period.