Germs are everywhere, and a number of them have the potential to make us sick. Even if illnesses are generally mild, we still feel miserable as our bodies fight them off. This winter, consider adopting healthy habits that can help reduce your chances of getting sick. Vi-Jon, the makers of Germ-X® hand sanitizer products, has some useful tips to increase your chances of avoiding illness so you can enjoy this winter season!
Why Healthy Habits Matter
People often touch their eyes, noses, and mouths without even realizing it. Those areas are the primary access points where germs can sneak into our bodies and make us sick.
Researchers believe that our hands are responsible for spreading roughly 80 percent of common infections. Some of the most important habits to adopt are to refrain as much as possible from touching our eyes, noses and mouths with our hands, to wash our hands regularly with soap and water, and to have a backup plan for when soap and water are not available.
Vi-Jon makes backup planning easy with its popular and convenient Germ-X® hand sanitizer products, including:
- Portable hand sanitizer dispensers
- Hand sanitizer spray
- Single-use hand sanitizer wipes
Healthy habits are our first line of defense when it comes to avoiding illness.
4 Hand Hygiene Habits to Adopt This Winter Season
Winter is the season of giving, but no one wants to be guilty of sharing germs. Still, with germs all around us, how can we reduce our risk of illness without drastically changing how we live our lives?
But some experts caution that the best way for reducing our chances of germ-causing illness is not so much about washing our hands a certain number of times per day. Instead, focus on the most appropriate times for handwashing and ensuring that our hands are properly washed.
By educating ourselves about germs, how they spread, and following a few healthy habits, we may reduce our risk of illness.
These four healthy habits revolve around appropriate handwashing and some planning:
1. ALWAYS wash your hands after using the bathroom.
Bathrooms are notorious sources of germs. Not only is it important to wash hands immediately after using the bathroom (and washing them according to CDC guidelines), but it’s also important to be careful about touching things such as door handles on the way out.
2. NEVER eat without first properly washing your hands.
Eating is one activity that brings our hands into close contact with our faces, especially when touching food directly with our fingers.
3. Be thoughtful about keeping germs off your hands.
As you go about your day’s activities consider some of the ways you can keep germs from spreading.
- Be thoughtful about touching only the groceries, like raw fruits and vegetables, that you plan to purchase.
- Try to cough and sneeze into the inside of your elbow, and if you forget, then wash your hands immediately before touching anything else.
Additional reminders from the CDC include some common activities we engage in year-round, as well as a few activities that can put us at high risk for coming into contact with illness-causing germs. These include:
- Washing our hands before and after caring for a sick person
- Treating a cut or wound
- Changing diapers or helping a child with toileting
- Caring for an animal
- Handling garbage and pet waste
- Preparing food
- Handling pet food
4. ALWAYS have a backup plan.
Properly and regularly washing our hands is key in reducing our risk of illness. But things get hectic, and life doesn’t always make soap and water available when we need it most. Germ-X® hand sanitizers have been carefully designed to help people sanitize their hands when soap and water are not available.
Some especially useful hand sanitizer products adapted to busy lifestyles are:
- Germ-X® 8 oz. hand sanitizer
- Germ-X® 2 oz. portable hand sanitizer dispenser with an attached carabiner
- Germ-X® with Aloe hand sanitizer options to help moisturize the skin
- Germ-X® single-use hand sanitizing wipes
For almost 25 years, Germ-X® hand sanitizer has been an industry leader in hand-sanitizing products. The formula contains American-made USP-grade alcohol in combination with moisturizers and vitamin E to help keep hands moisturized.
Germ-X® products kill 99.99% of many common harmful germs and bacteria in as little as 15 seconds. Learn more about Germ-X® hand sanitizer products here.
