A box of Kleenex anti-viral tissues will cost the frugal consumer significantly more than purchasing ordinary 2-ply tissues. But with worries associated with the flu and cold season should we spend the extra money? A regular tissue may work just fine if no one is sick but will anti-viral tissues prevent germs from spreading?
The advice we have been given to avoid spreading the flu or colds is to:
- wash hands frequently
- cover your mouth or nose when you cough and sneeze
- stay home if you are sick
If one person in a household or office gets sick, it seems that it usually isn't long before everyone else around them also get sick.
Kleenex Anti-viral tissues promise to kill 99.9 per cent of cold and flu viruses. The way they work is that there are 3 layers of tissue and the centre layer has an anti-viral formula which will kill the germs within 15 minutes. The active ingredients are food-grade citric acid and sodium lauryl sulphate. While they are considered to be safe ingredients, one common complaint is they can cause skin irritation for people with sensitive skin. They must not be used to wipe eyes.
When you sneeze, cold viruses travel through the air at a speed of up to 320 km. an hour and land up to 3 feet away. They can live on hard surfaces for up to 24 hours.
While the anti-viral tissue will look after the germs, it will only work if you sneeze into the tissue. If you are sick it is important to stop a cough or sneeze into any tissue. The tissue doesn't actually have to kill the virus but just needs to stop the transmission through the air. Viruses are spread through contact with an infected person when microscopic droplets are expelled through coughing, sneezing or even talking and enter our nose, throat or eyes.
There is no doubt that anti-viral tissues kill off the viruses more quickly than they would die off on their own. But why not save your money on the anti-viral tissue. Just ensure that no one else touches the tissue that has been sneezed or coughed into and that it is disposed of immediately. When you have a cold or flu, tissues should be used only once.
Then wash your hands.
