To use alcohol or not?

It's not a silly question!  When I first started, I used an alcohol wipe but then I'd read that it wasn't necessary.  If you wash and thoroughly rinse and dry your hands, that should be fine in your own home.  Of course in the lab, they will use alcohol because that's a different environment. I don't know about the alcohol having an effect on the reading.  It evaporates and I don't know if anything is left to affect the reading.  One thing I always do and I'm really not sure it's necessary, I wipe the first bead of blood away with a tissue and test the second bead of blood. I thought I'd read it's better to do that but I can't remember where. 

Hi, Joni!

When I was diagnosed 9 years ago, I was told to swab with alcohol before testing. A couple of months ago, however, a diabetes educator mentioned that it was better not to swab if you have access to soap and water because of skin dryness.

So, I rarely swab. Even though I test up to eight times a day, I usually have access to soap and water or, if not, hand sanitizer. I prefer soap and water. The less alcohol, the better. My hands are leathery enough without alcohol, thank you very much.

D.

My meter calls for just soap and water.