Antibacterial Products

I was surprised to read about antibacterial products not being supported by some doctors. Every member of my family use this to keep germs at bay when they're out of the house. It was reported that overuse of these products have been linked to antibiotic-resistant super bugs. and everyday application is not recommended. While these products work great when you can't get to the sink, nothing beats soap and water in removing soap and germs. Studies show that washing and scrubbing for 10 seconds the old-fashioned way can eliminate as much bacteria as most hand sanitizers do.

19 comments:

Anonymous said...

Yep...I've heard this too. And you're right about good ol' soap and water. We used the anti-bacterial stuff a lot when we were in and out of the hospital with my son. He's no longer with us and I've noticed that we aren't washing our hands OR using the anti-bacterial sanitizer near as much as we should....I've got to get us back on the right track! lol!!

Anonymous said...

This is very very true. Please don't use hand sanitizer or antibacterial products more than needed! As a biology geek who used to work in a lab, we never used more than 70% alcohol or a little bleach to kill large numbers of bacteria, yeast, and viruses (including HIV).

Everything in moderation is a good idea when dealing with bugs. And you're right - soap and water will do just as good of a job :)

Dez said...

pa-add na din dito ng 2nd blog ko and to your other blogs as well ha?

http:www.dez-myonlineworld.com
thanks for the help!

Anonymous said...

if i can remember correctly, these hand sanitizers became so popular a couple of years back. and everytime we eat, we had to 'sanitize' via those. In the end, we went back to good ol' soap and water.

Anonymous said...

Yes. Not many promoting this type of products in the market. We are using Dettol hand wash and cleaning purpose.It is famous for anti bacteria.

Unknown said...

Soap and water(warm to hot) is the best thing to use. Antibacterial products actually kill off beneficial bacteria as well, and yes have been linked to some of the super strains out there.
We use hand sanitizer when we go hiking or are camping and away from our site, but even in Scouts we are starting to promote soap and water again.

Unknown said...

We don't use this kind of soap when we're leading our daily life, but when we're on vacation we do.

Especially when we come from places that are not hygienic enough.

I think that we need resistance against everyday bugs, but we're a prey to bugs we're not meeting every day.

tx sweetie said...

wow huh.thanks for the info.and who would spend a long time scrubbing the hands? i only wash mine for maybe 3 seconds and i'm done lolz..

tahtimbo said...

That is so true. The germs will form a resistance to it and we will have super-germs, which means they will have to invent something stronger and the cycle will continue. I feel that good old fashioned soap and water is best. I also find that those antibacterial soaps seem to dry out my hands.

ellen said...

hello ate liza, kmusta na poh?

Anonymous said...

yup, this is true. maybe this is the reason why they don`t sell as much antibacterial products here in japan. can you believe it, no isopropryl or rubbing alcohol available in department stores or pharmacies!

HEALTH NUT WANNABEE MOM said...

I did not know about this. I have to admit that we have antibacterial sanitizer in every bathroom and I always carry it with me in my purse with the kids. I probably should slow down with it.

Angela Wenke said...

This reminds me of when doctors started staying away from prescribing certain antibotics due to people developing and immunity, thank you for sharing this information. I run a home daycare and use antibacaterial products all the time.

Angie
http://frugalwahmstalkradio.com/

Anonymous said...

I agree too. Too much antibacterial soap is going to cost us big time in the long run with more resistant strains.

Anonymous said...

I never thought of this. I use hand sanitizer very often and not knowing the dangers behind it..thanks for the post

Bobby

Anonymous said...

I have also read that because of our anti bacterial ways our bodies aren't producing some of the immunities they use to hence the increase in children with food allergies such as peanuts... I don't know if this is accurate or not but it kind of makes sense.

Anonymous said...

What surprised me at a recent visit to the vets is that tap water (here in Britain) contains so much chlorine that it is like using something stronger. I suppose I should have guessed at this because when the children were smaller - I left some white socks in the sink whilst investigating the children's shouting. The tap had been slowly dripping onto the socks and when I got back to them there was a bright white spot where the dripping had been. I was never able to get the remainder of the socks to match the bright white drip spot. I remember thinking at the time what is this doing to our insides ... still haven't answered that one!!

YYun said...

i've been using Dettol a lot since the SARS period years ago. i worry about germs, bacteria and virus all the time!

here's a breakfast tag. have fun. http://alamakoioi.blogspot.com/2008/07/longest-breakfast-menu-list.html

Guia Obsum said...

i didn't know about this, hand sanitizers used to be popular a few years back, like Alcogel. i don't like using hand sanitizers because even after i've applied them, my hand still feel sticky and i feel as though my hands are still not clean as if i've not washed away the germs. i'd rather use alcohol when i'm out since they're liquid like water and gives off the feeling of washing away germs, but i don't like their strong smell.

i'd only feel clean after i've really washed my hands with soap and water. they say that you have to scrub your hands for 15-20 seconds to make sure you wash away the germs, just sing happy birthday twice while washing then you're good to go.

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