Anti bacterial products manufacturers are rolling in the big bucks. Each year millions of folks, rush out to buy their products as a way to thwart any bacteria from breaching their defenses and making them sick. There are hand sanitizers, antibacterial soap, lotions, lip balms and sprays all designed with the intent of getting rid of bacteria.
However, all those products may be leading you down a dark path and one in which the bacterium is eventually going to win. You have to know the facts before you buy that next bottle of hand sanitizer.
Do Anti Bacterial Products Work
Tuberculosis, food poisoning, strep throat, pneumonia and cholera are some of the reasons why people rush out to buy anti bacterial products.
Perhaps it is best to understand how ineffective these products can be when compared to old-fashioned common sense. Then people might realize that anti bacterial products are not only a waste of their money, but also could be potentially damaging.
The process of getting rid of these unicellular microbes is actually quite simple.
The most effective process involves hot water, soap and a sanitizer such as alcohol or bleach.
The hot water loosens the dirt and grime allowing the bacteria to remain on the surface. The soap washes the bacteria away and anything left is rendered unstable by the alcohol or bleach. Both alcohol and bleach leave no residue behind and are safe to use on anything.
Effectiveness of Anti Bacterial Products with Triclosan
Triclosan, which typically acts in the same way as chlorine bleach and alcohol, is normally the main ingredient in anti bacterial products.
The trouble arises because after applying the product, a residue is left behind. This allows the bacteria that were not destroyed to grow and become resistant to the ingredient.
These resistances can cause genetic mutations that produce bacteria, which are resistant to antibiotics, in a process called cross-resistance. Take for example the Triclosan. It can give birth to bacterium that is resistant to the drug Isoniazid, that is used when a person contracts cholera.
If a germ free world were possible, then everyone would be walking around in sterile bubbles. However, there are not many of these bubbles bouncing around, so you have to make do with other techniques.
Do not resort to buying every anti bacterial product on the market. Hot water, soap and alcohol work better and are far more effective without the side effects that these products create.
Rather than spend money on anti bacterial products, go with the old-fashioned tried and tested remedies and stop worrying about things you cannot even see.