Hands are the parts of our body that have the most contact with other people, objects, and our own selves. Think about how often you mindlessly touch your face throughout the day. So while head-to-toe hygiene is a high priority for so many people, there’s an especially strong focus now on keeping hands clean when it comes to preventing the spread of disease-carrying germs. When you want to disinfect your hands fast, you may reach for a bottle of hand sanitizer. But how effective is hand sanitizer compared to washing your hands with soap and water?
According to the CDC, alcohol-based hand sanitizer can help reduce the amount of germs and bacteria on your hands, but they do not get rid of all types of bacteria. They may also be less effective if you have dirt, grease or other substances on your hands, so should not be used to replace hand washing.
If you choose to use hand sanitizer, use one with at least 60 percent alcohol and follow the CDC’s recommendations below.
How to use hand sanitizer?
- Proper hand-washing is best, but when soap and water aren’t available, hand sanitizer can help keep your hands clean.
- Check the label for how much to use and apply the product to the palm of one hand.
- Rub your hands together.
- Rub the product over all surfaces of your hands and fingers until your hands are dry, about 20 seconds..
Proper Hand Washing
Washing hands with soap and water is especially important if your hands are visibly dirty, not use hand sanitizer. Of you have or are around certain types of germs, such as coronavirus.
- Wet your hands with clean running water and apply soap.
- Rub your hands together, lathering and scrubbing well; be sure to scrub the backs of your hands, between your fingers and under your nails.
- Continue rubbing your hands for at least 20 seconds. This is about the time it takes to hum from beginning to end twice.
- Rinse your hands well under running water.
- Dry your hands using a clean towel or air dry.
Germs are everywhere and you’ll get exposed to them no matter what you do. But you do want to try to avoid the germs that can make you sick by using hand sanitizer. And our hands are a vehicle for those germs to travel from a surface into our body. So, wash your hands before you eat or prepare food, touch your face, touch a baby, or treat a cut or wound. Wash them after you use the bathroom, change a diaper, blow your nose or sneeze, touch garbage, prepare food, pet an animal, or if your hands have any visible dirt.
