great stuff but expensive [SEP] the only thing important on this product is the active ingredient chlorexidine the standard concentration is hibiclens is an overkill at regardless here are the advantages and disadvantages on this chemical agentadvantages the active ingredient chlorhexidine gluconate is the ideal antiseptic skin cleanser the gold standard in the opinion of numerous medical people according to all available literature on the internet a solution kills a broad spectrum of micro bacteria on contact the chemical has a positive charge and binds to bacteria that is negatively charged this electrical action weakens and disintegrates the bacterial cell membrane wall thus destroying the organism because human and animal tissues are also negatively charge the agent binds to the skin for the next five to six hours as a result the affected area inhibits bacterial growth the antiseptic properties only affect organisms on the skin antimicrobial agents and chemotherapys penetration of chlorhexidine into human skin reported poor penetration of chlorhexidine into skin following min and min exposures to chlorhexidine was observed in other words the agent is relatively safe because it does not penetrate the skin and get absorbed into human tissue or the blood stream and cause damage or toxic chemical reactions its effective antiseptic action was demonstrated in one medical study with chronically ill children daily bathing with the stuff reduced bacterial growth by in most hospitals physicians scrub their hands with this agent before surgery also patients must wash with this agent on the evening and morning before their operations a solution is the recommended concentration to be used for surgical scrubbing according to epic and cdc guidelines this maybe an overkill for consumer usage as a skin cleanser the journal of infectious nursing reported that anything over a concentration showed no significant differences statistically including persistent effects within hours a lower strength of was just as effective according to int ended j the only difference is speed a concentration takes min to completely kill e faccalis while a concentration takes sec the ineffective limit is a concentration this does not kill e faccalis the above findings were replicated and confirmed by a more recent america study in j infus nurs jan feb for oral rinsing it is a different matter because the mouth is not covered by skin but mucus membrane it is also host to different germs the standard treatment is a chlorhexidine concentration however optimum effects require a higher concentration clinical trials reported by the journal of dentistry said that a concentration showed a significant reduction through intensive treatment daily applications over days or through daily application for and days because a concentration is just as effective as straight out of the bottle a chlorhexidine can be diluted with water to yield ten times the amount of usable disinfectant also a hibiclens concentration can yield times the amount hibiclens is overpriced the cheapest on amazoncom is plus for shipping is very expensive it is worse at the local drug stores the average price is per oz that is for a gallon of the stuffa cheaper alternative is to buy a chlorhexidine gluconate from a pet products vendor the cheapest is sold by greener pastures veterinary service store for gallon if the user purchases there is free day shipping among most chlorhexidine literature from manufacturers they recommend one to two ounces to a gallon of cleaning solution for sanitizing floors counter tops and furniture in addition anecdotal testimonies from pet owners stores and clinics report a reduction in sicknesses among animals when the solution is used to clean their cages skin and gums this is surprising one ounce of chlorhexidine to a gallon of water amounts to a solution according to a study by the j infus nurs jan feb e faccalis bacteria was smeared on glass cones a chlorhexidine concentrate failed to kill the strain it required a or higher to do the job based on these facts the only possible conclusion is that the weaker concentration does not directly kill existing bacteria but creates a hostile environment for germ growth the chemical inhibits the spread of dangerous organisms on the skin mouth and inorganic surfaces through time the noxious population is further reduced thus it becomes less dangerous to the host j acquir immune defic syndr feb reported that a concentration is well tolerated by women even in the sensitive vaginal area at concentration there were complaints of burning and itchingdisavantages the product has risk it is well documented that exposure to the eye and mid ear causes ulceration damages according to federal records there were reported cases of adverse reactions to chlorhexidine gluconate as expected a majority was negative skin reaction irritation and redness washing the affected area with soap and water will negate the problems within hours recommendationsbased on two medical studies a water dilution of chlorhexidine to a concentration is the minimum for eliminating microbial organisms leave it on for a minute as an added bonus the concentration is well tolerated even in the vaginal area of females if you want a quick guaranteed kill use a concentrationfor inhibiting the growth of dangerous bacteria on counter tops floors pet cages and animals one to two ounces of chlorhexidine to a gallon of water will do the job again this only reduces the germ population by restrict