Antiseptic hand wash

[granddaddy, worksop]

My parents had thirteen children, and she always said to us that a little dirt keeps one healthy. Why worry about it, if one gets a virus one gets it, if one does not then one has worried for nothing.

[hat776, malta]

It is much more likely to be the water than the gel. The fresh (i.e. drinking) water is usually brought on ship in bottles, but any water that's going to be heated is usually produced on board from seawater - most of the cruise ships have their own desalination equipment. Even though it's perfectly safe to drink (even wthout being boiled), desalinated water does have a slightly odd aftertaste. We stayed on one of our last shore-based holidays in Fuerteventura, and all the drinking water was desalinated (the bathroom water wasn't - blechhh!), and it had the same taste - sort of metallic and slightly bitter.

So that's why the taste doesn't bother me. In Malta our drinking tap water is mostly produced by desalination plants - and it's extremely expensive to produce so I suppose I've got used to it.

[Gill Nickson, Albox]

Now that would be a photo for Aplmac to publish - he and Malcolm wearing stilettos!!!???

Hmmm...Now we know what your fetish is, HT!

[Hampshire Thorn, Fareham]

Hmmm...Now we know what your fetish is, HT!

Sorry Gill but stilettos are impractical on the golf course and frowned upon in the club house

[Gill Nickson, Albox]

Sorry Gill but stilettos are impractical on the golf course and frowned upon in the club house

Ah, but in the privacy of your own home...................

[Born-free, Essex]

However, and I've said this many times now on the forum - gel does not kill the Norovirus BUT hot soapy water does. The gel will help with other bugs.

.

Not strictly true as it depends upon the type of sanitizer used - as per the piece lifted from a science periodical

//

The Centers for Disease Control says the most important way to prevent the transmission of dangerous diseases is to frequently wash your hands with soap and water and/or use a hand sanitizer. If soap and water are not available it is recommended to use a hand sanitizer that contains at least 60 percent alcohol.
Alcohol rubs kill many different kinds of bacteria, including antibiotic resistant bacteria and TB bacteria. It also has high viricidal activity against many different kinds of viruses, including enveloped viruses such as the flu virus, the common cold virus, and HIV, though is notably ineffective against the rabies virus.

Alcohol rub sanitizers are not very effective against Norovirus (winter vomiting virus) unless they are combined with benzalkonium chloride in a hand sanitizer.

Alcohol rubs also kill fungi. University of Virginia Medical School researchers concluded that hand sanitizing is more effective against fighting the common cold than hand washing. Alcohol kills both pathogenic (disease causing) microorganisms as well as resident bacterial flora, which generally do not cause illness. Research shows that alcohol hand sanitizers do not pose any risk by eliminating "good" germs that are naturally present on the skin.
The body quickly replenishes the good germs on the hands, often moving them in from just up the arms where there are fewer harmful germs. Alcohol also strips the skin of the outer layer of oil, which may have negative effects on barrier function of the skin. However, washing with detergents, such as commonly used hand soaps, results in a greater barrier disruption of skin compared to alcohol solutions, suggesting an increased loss of skin lipids.

Laboratory studies have shown lingering benzalkonium chloride may be associated with antibiotic resistance in MRSA while no mechanism for resistance to alcohol has ever been described in bacteria. In addition, benzalkonium chloride is rated as a level 7 high hazard in the Cosmetics Safety Database, although they also indicate a significant gap in studies regarding the toxicity of benzalkonium chloride, particularly at the low level present in non-alcohol sanitizers.
Where alcohol sanitizers utilize 62%, or higher, alcohol by weight, only .1 to .13% of benzalkonium chloride by weight provides equivalent antimicrobial effectiveness. Benzalkonium chloride is the active ingredient in Bactine Antiseptic Spray, the universal antiseptic that has been used on open wounds and childhood scrapes for decades, at an amount higher than that present in the most popular non-alcohol sanitizers.

//

So the answer is - if the line use a cheap alcohol only sanitizer then you are not protected from Noro, but if they use the correct santizer you have a huge protection against it.

[davecttr, gillingham]

Note that HOT water is not needed, just soap and water and a good wash. If the water was hot enough to kill the virus you would scald your hands.

[Bill, Keighley]

[QUOTE=Harry, Hastings;22063]We all worry about touching surfaces, making use of gel etc. whilst cruising (myself included) but how often do you see the use of gels at land based restaurants where you still have doors to open etc.
I have read recently that Hand Gels contain 96% Alcohol. Correct me if am wrong, put plenty in my room if I am not.

[Sharon, Beverley]

Hmmm elderly ..........

I take it neither you nor Malcolm wear drop dead gorgeous stiletto heeled sandals ? Try walking up or down stairs while wearing them without touching , just touching , barely brushing one's fingertips along ,definitely NOT clinging , to the hand rails . :D

Oh I don't even consider using the stairs when I have my spike heels on.Its the lift every time.....of course then if you are lucky enough someone else presses the lift button of you

[rocky, London]

I have just been given a new hand sanitizer called Argentus 100% natural ingredients and it does not crack your hands ...because the alchol products on cruises do and then this lets the germs prosper.....this product leaves your hand so soft and last 10 times longer than the others......no bad after smell when you touch your rolls ect.....I wnder if the cruise companies would change to this...its not expensive

[goldengrain, wallington]

Yes. When your hands are chapped they get more easily infected. I remember reading about a nurse who caught AIDS that way.

This is a great idea. I looked for a website but could not find one, though.

[Guy, Ormskirk]

My hospital is still using the alchohol based gels as an add on to thorough washing with soap and water. It should not be drying out your skin to the extent that the skin is cracking. Studies have shown that washing with soap and water for 2 weeks compared to using just the gel found that skin had less moisture when soap and water was used.

Using the gels for such a short time shouldn't be causing a problem especially if you follow it up with a moisturiser so they are worth using..Carol

[Luv2cruise, Hampshire]

[QUOTE=Bill, Keighley;349123]

I have read recently that Hand Gels contain 96% Alcohol. Correct me if am wrong, put plenty in my room if I am not.

Usually 60-85%. It really needs to be 70% to be effective, and the effectiveness begins to drop off after that level.

[rocky, London]

Argentus hand sanitizer...this is the name to type.. in better that alcohol

This is what the cruise ships needs and people would use this as it is natural and just look at what real virus it prevents....and with the aloe vera it gives the hands a moisturaser

Yes. When your hands are chapped they get more easily infected. I remember reading about a nurse who caught AIDS that way.

This is a great idea. I looked for a website but could not find one, though.

[Luv2cruise, Hampshire]

Hmm, active ingredient is something called 'Argenna' - no real explanation of what that is, and I couldn't find any trademark or patent application. 'Proprietary formula of natural ingredients' - no real explanation as to what they are, but it does list aloe vera, thyme, silver and zinc. The aloe seems to be mainly added for its moisturising properties, although aloe is known to be active against some strains of bacteria, as are thyme, silver and zinc.

The issue I'd have with this is that there's no indication of the concentrations of any of these, and the product appears to be marketed as a cosmetic, thus it won't have undergone the rigorous tests that medical handwashes will have had to go through. By contrast, there's a huge weight of scientific evidence for the use of alcohol and benzalkonium chloride, and the concentrations needed for these to be effective. Personally, I'll be sticking to the standard ones until there's more evidence. It's also important, as Guy says above, to recognise than any sanitiser is an add-on to, not a substitute for proper washing with soap & water. It's not just a case of washing away the bugs, but of allowing the disinfectant/sanitiser to do its work properly. The majority of disinfectants are actually neutralised by biological dirt - that is, the dirt sort of 'uses up' the killing power before the chemical gets anywhere near the bugs - so keeping hands washed is the priority.