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Anti-bacterial lotions? Absolutely not!
Mary Anne — (archived)

You have it so right to use soap and water!

Working with and around kids 50 weeks a year, I can tell you that any regimen that makes regular use of anti-bacterial lotions will destroy your skin. One of the major ingredients is alcohol.

Antibacterial soap is not such a good idea either. It tends to make tough germs.

Regular old soap and water, drying thoroughly and (got this tip from a state health inspector) using the paper towel to open the restroom door prevents a multitude of infections. So does keeping a bottle of water nearby and drinking a lot of it every day.

Nurses I know have advised me that the water one washes with doesn't even have to be warm, though it's more comfortable warm. The key is to work up a good lather and rub it around on the hands for a sufficient period of time (10 seconds), then rinse just as thoroughly. It's the friction with the soap that kills the germs.

We practice the "Happy Birthday" method: lather up; rub lather while singing "Happy Birthday", a song all the kids know that happens to be long enough; rinse and dry. We also send people assigned to us by the courts around the building with Chlorox wipes to hit all doorhandles and the computer keyboards and mice. I wish we could wash the book covers.

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