I have to admit - I don't use hand sanitizers and I get annoyed when my children (who have been taught at school to use them) do!
My daughter cannot walk by a "Sanitizing Station" without getting a dose of the stuff. Me? I have the the same $1 Purell bottle that has been in my purse for about 3 years.
I honestly don't understand why we have to get rid of every germ in society. I grew up when we drank from hose bibs, we headed to the creek in the hopes of picking up frogs, we got COVERED in mud......and we were FINE. And you know what? We didn't have parties for children where we were greeted at the door with a bottle of Purell or the invite didn't include "please don't RSVP yes if your child is ill" (ask me how I know this happens)!
Don't get me wrong - it's not that I want my children to get sick or make others sick. But seriously? I don't want to live in a world where my kids have to have an assumption that they are dirty and need to be sanitized before any event!
How do you feel about hand sanitizers?
Michelle jadaa
I agree,the problem is these things kill the good bacterias as well as the bad .Also each generation is going to have less and less resistance as they are less exposed.We need balance after all.
Barb
I'm with you. I won't use them, and the smell really bothers my asthma. Good old hand-washing with soap is the best way to go (regular soap, not "anti-bacterial" stuff.) But I have a teenage daughter who just can't pass it by.
Heidi
I'm with you. I don't get it. I don't want my kid to get sick but I do want her to build up an immunity and get exposed to some germs to better fight them off later.
Jan
They're handy when you can't get to soap and water. But overusing hand sanitizers and antibacterial everything is a great way to encourage antibiotic-resistant bacteria. Also, what others have said about building up an immunity--are we contributing to the rise of autoimmune disorders by overprotecting kids from germs? One has to wonder.
celia
We don't use them unless we are some place like a hospital or a doctors office where I know someone could get us sick or we could get someone sick. Other than that, NO. My doctor told me four years ago that they can disrupt your hormones so we don't use them.
vegemom
I only purchase alcohol-based sanitizers so I have little concern about contributing to resistant super-bugs or disrupting hormones We use it only when we're on the go and don't have access to soap and water.
Beth
I use them every once in a while at work, typically after coughing or sneezing in front of a customer and I don't want them to think I'm going to get them sick. I don't ever buy them for myself.