What is the best product for hand hygiene?

Powerful Hand Antiseptics

• Decrease the numbers of germs on hands
• Decrease the probability of contracting or transmitting an infectious disease
• Kill germs more effectively than soap and water

In the graph below 70% Isopropyl alcohol reduces the number of bacteria significantly better than antimicrobial soap and water or soap and water.

In the second graph to the left, Germ Out®, which contains two germ killers (70% isopropyl alcohol and 0.02% Benzalkonium chloride), reduces the numbers of bacteria (microorganisms) on the fingers significantly better than antimicrobial soap and water.

Two Germ Killers

• Germ Out® contains two germ killers (70% isopropyl alcohol and 0.02% Benzalkonium chloride.
• Alcohol is an instant germ killer.
• Benzalkonium chloride is a persistent germ killer. It stays on your hands.
• Benzalkonium chloride is cumulative. It accumulates on your hands.
• Both germ killers have different mechanisms for killing germs.
• Two powerful germ killers with different mechanisms of action are significantly more effective than one.
• Two powerful germ killers in the same antiseptic prevents drug resistant germs. If a germ is resistant to one antiseptic, the other will kill it.

In the graph to the left the zone of bacterial inhibition was measured in millimeters with alcohol alone (60% to 90%), with Benzalkonium chloride alone (0.02% to 0.10%), and with Germ Out alone (N.B. The concentration of Benzalkonium chloride in Germ Out® was varied between 0.02% and 0.10% while the concentration of isopropyl alcohol was kept constant at 70%). The zone of bacterial inhibition in millimeters for Germ Out® at all concentrations of Benzalkonium chloride was significantly greater than the zone with alcohol alone or Benzalkonium chloride alone at all concentrations. Germ Out® contains two powerful germ killers. They are seventy percent isopropyl alcohol and 200 parts per million (0.02 wt %) Benzalkonium chloride.

Moisturizer

• High concentrations of alcohol will make hands feel dry.
• Alcohol with moisturizers such as glycerin will not dry out hands.
• Washing your hands with soap and water dries out hands significantly more than alcohol hand rubs with moisturizers and lowers the epidermal water content significantly more than alcohol hand rubs with moisturizers.
• Germ Out® contains 2.5 wt % glycerin as a moisturizer.

In the far left graph, healthy and dry hands were measured on a self-reporting score from 0 (healthy) to dry (6) at baseline and after using alcohol rubs or soap and water washing for two weeks. At baseline there was no significant difference between the two methods but at two weeks the alcohol rub was significantly better at maintaining healthy (not dry) hands than soap and water.

In the near left graph, the epidermal water content of the skin was measured on a scale from 15 (dry) to healthy (27) at baseline and after two weeks using alcohol rub and soap and water. At baseline there was no significant difference between the two methods but after two weeks the alcohol rub epidermal water content was significantly healthier than the soap and water method. The alcohol rub method for maintaining hand hygiene was significantly better than the soap and water method.

For more information or to purchase Germ Out® go to www.germout.com.