Hello, it’s understandable that people are feeling very scared right now and are looking for ways to buy themselves out of their worry. But the truth is, we still have a lot of power over this virus and a major weapon we have in our own homes and literally at our fingertips is soap. This tiny, sticky, virus has a fatty surrounding that everyday soap breaks apart and water washes away, (it really does take 20 seconds of time to do this). The type of soap you use does not matter so PLEASE DO NOT BUY SPECIFIC BRANDS OF SOAP TO COMBAT COVID-19.
I know we all wish there was some magic potion we could spray on ourselves and our loved ones to make us safe, but that’s just not the case. Lately I am seeing companies and individuals promoting certain brand name soaps to combat the virus implying or endorsing them as somehow superior to other soaps. Let’s see this stop. Soap is a VERY powerful product to combat COVID-19 and a whole host of other illnesses, but branding is not what makes it work.
When we begin to leave our homes to purchase unnecessary items or spend money that could be better used for healthy foods or other basic necessities we lose sight of the big picture. If you run out of hand soap or bar soap you can use body wash, liquid dish washing soap also works (although this can be hard on hands so moisturize afterwards). Consider asking an immediate neighbor to *share one of these products with you if you run out.
If you are considered an essential worker and in your daily work you do not have access to soap and water, use hand sanitizer instead, however, soap and water are slightly more effective and unlike hand sanitizer, never expire. When you get home from caring for the rest of us, please wash your hands with soap and water and know that we are thanking you for your service and for washing your hands!
Final Note: Please be very careful of any homemade soap or hand sanitizer solutions as there have been reports of children in particular suffering injuries from incorrectly made or diluted products.
*When sharing any item outside your household do it using social distancing and please, please disinfect it prior to use.