If you wipe your nose with an antibacterial handkerchief, you should remove the pathogens on your fingers and be less contagious – at least that’s what the manufacturer promises. But there is also criticism of the product. FITBOOK has found out more about this.
Sounds good at first: If you use Tempo Protect handkerchiefs, you should be able to do without washing your hands afterwards, because this frees your fingers from possible pathogens. This is to protect them from transmitting germs (hence the name «Protect»), or – as it says in the advertisement – “contribute to the fact that people who have a cold are less likely to infect those around them”.
It’s in the antibacterial handkerchiefs
The wipes smell a bit strong, which can be explained by the active ingredients used. On the website of the handkerchiefs manufacturer, however, there is no information about which active ingredients the product claims to have its antibacterial effect to thank for – but on «Öko-Test.de». The consumer magazine took a closer look at the Tempo towels.
So it is apparently the preservative benzalkonium chloride that is supposed to prevent bacterial growth in handkerchiefs. In theory, you should be able to do the unthinkable: use a used handkerchief again. The normal ones should be disposed of immediately after use, which doesn’t seem to be the most ecological option, but in any case the most hygienic.
Normal handkerchiefs have to be disposed of after one use, otherwise the pathogens could get into the air. Risk of infection!Photo: Getty Images
The antibacterial additive in Tempo Protect (other manufacturers do not yet offer such handkerchiefs) does not seem to be such a good idea. The problem: According to the consumer magazine, if benzalkonium chloride remains on the skin, it can promote resistance to the germ Pseudomonas aeruginosa. And: “Halogeno-organic compounds were also detected in the laboratory, many of which are considered allergenic and some are considered carcinogenic.” In the «Öko-Test» Tempo Protect cuts off with «unsatisfactory», apparently not without reason.
Conclusion
FITBOOK has here already put the modern disinfectant gels to the test, with which you can clean your hands on the go without water, and found out that they attack the natural protective acid layer of the skin. And it is known to be used to ward off germs. The conclusion was already back then: washing hands is preferable to disinfecting, and we would also refrain from using antibacterial handkerchiefs.