Abolish Soap and Water

Abolish Soap and Water

by Mark Pleiss

Abolish Soap and Water

replace to Alcohol-based sanitizers for a cleaner college

You’ve done your business.

There’s not a soul in your midst. The getaway scene presentsitself. But alas, the moral dilemma is damning: to wash or torun.

The devil of sanitary apathy, the angel of cleanliness squabblefrom your shoulders. Of course you choose to wash.

Or do you?

A telephone interview conducted by Wirthlin Worldwide found that95 percent of people polled said they wash their hands every timethey go to the bathroom. But it is estimated by the National Centerfor Infectious Disease that only one out of three people actuallywash their hands after using the bathroom.

Now be honest.

Washing your hands is the most effective way of neutralizinggerms. Germs susceptible to soap, especially ones bathrooms giveoff, are the same kinds that cause colds, the flu and even thesevere acute respiratory syndrome. Living in an environmentbustling with students, handrails, doorknobs and community showers,deterring germs is a very important issue.

It’s true that in the hustle and bustle of college life, slowingdown to wash your hands can be a grave inconvenience. One runs intothe bathroom, but is already late for class. You think this personis going to wash his or her hands?

How about a night spent with lady liquor? Can one reallybelieve, in the surreal stages of drunkenness, students will washevery single time they use the facility (which, as many know, canbe several times)?

The time has finally come. The antediluvial method of soap andwater washing must come to an end if SARS and the flu are to bestopped (or at least a cleaner campus is to be brought about).

In this culture of cell phones and fast food sex, people need anew way to get clean. The method is here, and many have alreadypartook in its use.

Bathroom soap dispensers requiring water must be replaced withmodern,

“waterless” soaps that can be applied and used without a personever having to stop. If Simpson would switch, it would be almosteffortless, and the effects would be dramatic.

I can’t promise students will automatically begin washing. But,common sense clearly shows people will do something that is goodfor them if it can either be done on the way to doing somethingelse, or if it is just too easy not to do. Bringing “waterless”soap to Simpson will greatly increase the probability of studentswashing their hands, and therefore killing more germs. Just imaginea campus free of germs, an uncontaminated utopia.

But are “waterless” soaps as effective as soap and water? Theanswer is yes. A pamphlet by the National Consumers League declaredthe best way to get hands clean is to either wash thoroughly withsoap and water (a process that takes as long as singing your ABCs),or to apply an alcohol-based instant hand sanitizer (a process onecan do walking, and only takes seconds). The two are equal ineffectiveness, and are almost identical in price.

With the drama of flu season and other, external outbreaksseeping into our country, it is essential for students living in asmall campus environment to keep germ interaction at its utmostlowest. Washing your hands is one of the most effective ways ofdeterring germs, so we must implement the easiest way to wash ourhands. Replacing soap and water soaps with alcohol-based”waterless” sanitizers will vastly improve the cleanliness we allseek.