hand sanitizer v hand washing/PSA

[asktriplets]

Hi.

I'm taking an informal poll to determine how many schools now use hand sanitizer in place of hand washing before lunch....

Our school will ALLOW kids to use soap and water before lunch if they ask, but everyone else uses a squirt of hand sanitizer (and most kids use it incorrectly, from what I've seen).
I'm in discussions with the school about it because despite the fact that this goes against the CDC/WHO/Red Cross/Dept. of Health hygiene recommendation (hand sanitizer is a better option than nothing if hand washing is unavailable), the school feels their plan is adequate.

So, would you be willing to share with me if your school has kids wash hands or use hand sanitizer before eating?

I feel like most kids these days (and quite frankly, most ADULTS) think that hand sanitizer is the same as hand washing and the information that explains that it is NOT the same and they do not have the same effects is difficult to find.


Oh, and here is the Public Service Announcement:
According to the research I've found,

-Hand sanitizer is not effective on hands that are visibly dirty (and at our school, the kids go from recess to lunch with a stop for a squirt of hand sanitizer...yuck!!)

-Most alcohol-based hand sanitizers aren't effective against noro-viruses (1 of the main stomach bugs) and other gastro. parasites like giiardi and crypto-something. Hand sanitizers also don't work to kill pinworm, roundworm, and other parasitic intestinal worm oocytes (eggs).

If you don't know if your kids wash hands or use hand sanitizer before they eat, you might want to ask....Many parents that I've talked to in our school just assume that their kids wash hands before eating, and that isn't the case. Many parents, though,when they DO find out,don't seem to mind that kids don't wash hands. They feel hand sanitizer is adequate.

What's your take on it?

Thanks for your thoughts!

 

[Carly_Roach]

I don't use hand sanitizer. Never have, never will. I will always wash my hands (not rinse) before handling food.

I don't have kids but I know what you mean about adults using it in place of good hand-washing hygene habits. Ick.

 

[Acklander]

I just checked with DS11 and he said that they just use hand sanitizer. I asked if he had the option of soap and water and he said that only if you happen to use the bathroom before lunch.
And while I'm not a fan of hand sanitizers, the fact that they use it instead of washing their hands falls into the "whatever" category. What's the worst case scenerio, he ends up with an extra cold during the year??? No biggie.

 

[BernardandMissBianca]

Our school has a sanitizer mounted on the wall before they get to the food line. Most everyone uses it, I however do not let my kids use it.
I tell my kids wash their hands before going into the lunch room.

Yes our school puts to much emphasis on the sanitizer and not enough on hand washing. But then again this is the same school who thought fabreezing a fabric couch in the reading room would disinfect it.
DS14's friend did a swap test on various surfaces and he couch grew the funkiest stuff. I told his mom to report the findings to the principal, who thought fabreeze was enough. Interestingly enough the computer keyboards were the cleanest but the computer teacher is pretty good and wiping them down after each class.

 

[npmommie]

yuck about the recess to lunch with no handwashing! bleck!

my kids don't go to traditional school, but I can tell you that we wash before eating, if we grab something in the car like after sports or something they do use the sanitizer, I keep it in the car for situations like that.

sanitizer has to be rubbed in til it is dry to be effective.

 

[Jennasis]

Nobody ever washed their hands and there was no such thing as sanitizer when I was in K-12.

 

[Carly_Roach]

Nobody ever washed their hands and there was no such thing as sanitizer when I was in K-12.

I guess it all depends on your experience. My mother raised us to wash our hands before eating whether we were in school or at home. YMMV.

 

[kwelch10377]

I don't use hand sanitizer. Never have, never will. I will always wash my hands (not rinse) before handling food.

I don't have kids but I know what you mean about adults using it in place of good hand-washing hygene habits. Ick.

Glad I'm not the only one. I refuse to use hand sanitizer. Washing my hands works just fine and I am very rarely sick, unlike the 2 girls who sit next to me that practically bath themselves in hand sanitizer several times everyday and are always sick.

 

[Carly_Roach]

Glad I'm not the only one. I refuse to use hand sanitizer. Washing my hands works just fine and I am very rarely sick, unlike the 2 girls who sit next to me that practically bath themselves in hand sanitizer several times everyday and are always sick.

I've noticed that too. The sickliest people in our office are those who are always hitting the pump bottle of santizer all day long.

As for me, I'll wash my hands with soap after visiting the restroom and before lunch. I've already had my one cold this year and don't anticipate getting another one until next year.

 

[LuLuO]

My DD3 is only in preschool, but they all wash their hands at the sink before snack. They also use hand sanitizer upon entering and leaving the classroom.

 

[punkin]

I hate the sanitizer. My DD12 washes her hands almost obsessively and her teachers still force the kids to use the sanitizer. I think it is useless for a habitual hand washer, not to mention that it dries out the skin, particularly in winter.

 

[Jennasis]

I guess it all depends on your experience. My mother raised us to wash our hands before eating whether we were in school or at home. YMMV.

Hands were washed at home, but I can't ever recall the teacher sending everyone to the bathroom one at a time in elementary school to wash hands, or allowing kids to do so. In High school, lunch was eaten so fast due to super short lunch periods that there was no time to run down to the bathroom and then back to the lunchroom.

Times are a-changin'.

 

[Hannathy]

Nobody ever washed their hands and there was no such thing as sanitizer when I was in K-12.

me either and while I know it is on the wall at my son's school I don't think they have to use it. Heck they can barely get them in and find a place to sit and eat in their allotted 20 minutes let alone making everyone wash their hands. How would there be time to have 600 kids wash their hands ?

It is totally overused, and while it would be nice I just don't see how in most schools there would be enough time to have everyone wash their hands, nor enough bathrooms

 

[acejka]

most adult women I see in public restrooms don't even wash correctly. Um rinsing your hands under water without soap for 4.5 seconds does not get any germs off. yuck.

 

[MariDisney]

To my knowledge my DD (6th grade) has never been instructed to do either before lunch.

 

[Aneille]

They use hand sanitizer at my DD's school. I am not sure if they are allowed to wash their hands if they are asked. I have never gave it much thought.

I think hand washing is best if done correctly but kids seldom wash their hands correctly. I do know the school has taught them how to wash their hands correctly starting in pre-school.

I figure hand sanitizer is better than nothing and I think if it went to hand washing kids would have less time to eat and more work for the teachers. My DD's school is fairly large and I can't imagine getting the entire 3rd and 4th grade classrooms in and out to wash hands before their lunch period. Or for that matter the 1st and 2nd graders. At those ages they are easily distracted and what a chore it would be.

If it was a small school with only 1 or 2 classrooms per grade, I can see it has being reasonable. My dd's school has 3 to 4 classrooms per grade. And I am sure their are schools with even more students, as ours is not that big.

In middle school the town combines the 5 public elementary schools into 2 middle schools and then into 1 high school. That would be one long line at the bathrooms.

 

[MiniGirl]

Hands were washed at home, but I can't ever recall the teacher sending everyone to the bathroom one at a time in elementary school to wash hands, or allowing kids to do so. In High school, lunch was eaten so fast due to super short lunch periods that there was no time to run down to the bathroom and then back to the lunchroom.

Times are a-changin'.

When I was a kid, our school had a hand washing trough. It was similar to this but it rectangular and children could use both sides. Soap dispensers were mounted to it on one end and paper towels and hand dryers on the other.

Our local school used hand sanitizer.

 

[prncess674]

I went to elementary school in the 80's and our cafeteria had these large semi circle hand washing stations. I would six people could be at one station and there were four stations. They had the step on bar to start the water, which I always thought was cool, so I always washed before lunch. We weren't required to use it, but it was right there when you walked in so I always did.