We hear it all the time: cover your cough and wash your hands. Soap and hand sanitizers have become a staple at every desk, in every purse and in every bathroom.
We wanted to find out if certain hand sanitizers or soaps worked better than others at killing bacteria.
We turned to Dr. Mohamed Fakhr, a Microbiologist at the University of Tulsa, to help us find the answer.
We tested 5 different products: bar soap, liquid soap, anti-bacterial hand wash, a foaming hand sanitizer and a hand sanitizer with alcohol.
Using 5 different volunteers, one for each product, Dr. Fakhr had each person put a different finger on a plate. Then the volunteer used the product and placed their fingers on a different set of plate.
Six days later we got our results.
Overall, all of the products killed bacteria and there wasn't a huge difference between them. However, the hand sanitizer with alcohol was a little more effective compared to the foaming hand sanitizer.
The bar soap and liquid soap worked equally fine. Washing hands is actually the best method at killing bacteria. Hand sanitizers work, but should not act as a replacement for hand washing. When using hand sanitizers, make sure your hands are completely dry before doing anything else. Otherwise, you will likely transfer bacteria.
And what our mothers told us is correct: washing your hands longer does make a difference. You should lather up as long as it takes to sing "Happy Birthday."
Keep in mind, you can't kill all bacteria, but washing hands will help tremendously.
If you have a product you'd like us to try, let us know!
