Your co-workers are all covered with germs. It’s not mean, it’s just the simple truth of the matter. The typical office is a cesspool for all kinds of harmful bacteria and that’s why it’s smart to keep hand sanitizer around at all times! Are You Using Hand Sanitizer Correctly? Here's How To Be 100% Sure!

Does sanitizer keep your employees healthy? If so, how? Say goodbye to sick days from here on out!

What Are the Benefits of Hand Sanitizer?

5 Hand Sanitizing Tips for a Healthier Life There are many benefits to using hand sanitizer when soap and warm water aren’t available. Not only will you reduce your risk of infection, but you’ll also spread less germs to others and miss fewer days at work.

The numbers don’t lie when it comes to the power of keeping sanitizers around the office!

• Alcohol-based sanitizers can reduce about 97% of the bacteria on your hands.
• Proper hand hygiene can reduce absenteeism at work by up to 40%.
• Employees who use sanitizer at least five times each workday are about 67% less likely to get sick.
• 30 seconds of using hand sanitizer kills a much bacteria as two full minutes of      hand washing.
• Offices with a sanitation program report 24% fewer claims for hand hygiene preventable diseases.

A few drops of hand sanitizer can work wonders. There will be fewer people calling in sick and an overall healthier environment.

Does Hand Sanitizer Keep You From Getting Sick?

Tips for Buying Hand Sanitizer When There Are So Many Choices When used correctly, sanitizer can be insanely good at preventing a cold or the flu. The more alcohol it contains and the more often you use it, the less harmful bacteria will be on your hands.There’s plenty of evidence that suggests this strategy works. In 2016, The Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine released a study about the impact of sanitizer in the workplace. Six doctors analyzed data from various offices around the United States over the course of four years.

How they work
Hand sanitizers were developed for use after washing hands or for those times when soap and water are not available. They are gels that contain alcohol in order to kill the germs present on the skin. The alcohol works immediately and effectively in order to kill bacteria and most viruses. Alcohol can be very drying to the skin, so most brands of sanitizers also contain a moisturizer to minimize skin dryness and irritation.

How much should you use?
To use hand sanitizers effectively, place a small amount, the size of your thumbnail, on the palm of your hand and rub it over your entire hand, including in your nailbeds. If the gel completely evaporates in less than 15 seconds, you have not used enough product.

Benefits:
• Hand sanitizers are convenient, portable, easy to use and not time consuming.

• Several studies have concluded that the risk of spreading gastrointestinal (stomach) and respiratory infection is decreased among families who use hand sanitizers.

• Commercially prepared hand sanitizers contain ingredients that help prevent skin dryness. Using these products can result in less skin dryness and irritation than hand-washing.

• Studies show that adding hand sanitizers to classrooms can reduce student absenteeism due to illness by 20 per cent. What's more, many kids think instant hand sanitizers are fun to use.

Limitations:
• Not all hand sanitizers are created equally. Check the bottle for active ingredients. The alcohol content may be in the form of ethyl alcohol, ethanol or isopropanol. All of those are acceptable forms of alcohol. Be certain that no matter which type of alcohol is listed, its concentration is between 60 and 95 per cent. Am alcohol content of less than 60 per cent isn't enough to be effective.

• Alcohol does not cut through grime. All dirt, blood and soil must be wiped or washed away first if the alcohol in the sanitizer is to be effective. In such cases, hand-washing with soap and water is advised.

• Hand sanitizers are not cleaning agents and are not meant as a replacement for soap and water, but as a complementary habit. Sanitizers are most effective when used in conjunction with diligent hand-washing.

The use of hand sanitizers is a habit that can help keep us all exposed to fewer germs, and therefore may decrease our chance of illness. Whether you are on the playground, using someone else's computer or visiting a friend in the hospital, take the time to rub some on your hands. It is an easy step toward a healthy winter season.