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Going out to eat at a restaurant is a lot different now than it used to be. There are so many health and safety precautions in place to help keep people from spreading germs or catching a virus. But even if you follow all of the mandated precautions like wearing a face mask and maintaining a distance of six feet from other people, there may be one mistake you’re still making that can put you at risk.
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We all know that carrying a bottle of hand sanitizer around can help prevent the spread of germs, since most sanitizers can kill 99% of germs. But if you rely too heavily on hand sanitizer, you can be making a serious mistake.
It's important to remember that using hand sanitizer regularly is not an effective replacement for washing your hands with soap and water.
Soap is the most effective way to clean your hands because it can "remove all types of germs from hands, while sanitizer acts by killing certain germs on the skin," according to the CDC.
You should scrub your hands with soap under hot water for at least 20 second for the best results.
Many people will opt for just hand santizer when at a restaurant because it limits the amount of tiem you spend away from your table and near other people, but washing your hands is the most effective way to stay safe from germs - especially when you're eating.
This is why you should go to the bathroom to wash your hands before eating a meal at a restaurant, instead of just using hand sanitizer.
