Alcohol Prep Pads

Alcohol Prep Pads

You come into contact with germs countless times throughout every day, so it's important to take precautions in order to prevent infection. One way that you can help guard against bacteria is by using pads soaked in alcohol to disinfect certain surfaces. Whether you need to get a patch of skin clean before receiving an injection or simply want a compact tool to kill germs on a public surface, you can find a variety of supplies including alcohol prep pads here at Walgreens.

How Does Alcohol Kill Bacteria?

Most alcohol prep pads are soaked in either ethyl alcohol or isopropyl alcohol, which are both powerful antibacterials. The amount of alcohol present in an antibacterial product is important because mixtures that have either too much or too little alcohol can prevent it from being effective. Most alcohol prep pads contain about 70 percent alcohol and 30 percent water, which is the best mix for killing germs. Alcohol quickly dissolves from your skin and doesn't leave anything behind, but it can also be very irritating to broken or injured skin, so you should use caution when cleaning sensitive areas.

Antiseptic Uses for Alcohol Prep Pads

The most common use for alcohol prep pads in medicine is to clean an area of skin before giving an injection. These pads are individually packaged to be sterile so that doctors and nurses can handle each one without contaminating any of the others. Alcohol pads may also be recommended for use in patients with diabetes to clean their skin before pricking it to test blood sugar or before an insulin injection. Since these pads are so compact, consumers might also find a variety of other uses for them. You can keep these sorts of products in your purse or your wallet and use them to wipe down surfaces that you are wary about touching because you think they may have germs on them. Because these products tend to be on the smaller side, you may prefer using a larger alcohol wipe or liquid hand sanitizer to help kill germs on your hands.