If sanitizer is all you have, then use it. Otherwise, go old school for these reasons.
The new coronavirus is on its way around the world. As a flu-like cold virus, it can spread easily from one person to another through infected water droplets that are sneezed or coughed out of an infected person. Keeping your hands clean and not touching your face are some of your best, (and only), defenses against this virus that many can survive, but others find to be deadly.
So, is it better to wash your hands with soap or to use hand sanitizer, when trying to scrub up?
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has a long guide to this issue on its website. According to the information posted there, washing your hands with soap and water should be your first line of defense against all types of germs. If you can’t find a sink and soap, use hand sanitizer. To be effective, it should contain at least 60% alcohol.
Related: Coronavirus: who needs a face mask (and who doesn’t)
When you wash your hands with soap, you have a better chance at cleaning off germs like Cryptosporidium, norovirus, and Clostridium difficile, the CDC states.
Many people who use hand sanitizer to clean their hands don’t actually use a large enough amount to do the job well. And if you wipe your hands dry before the sanitizer dries on its own, you could have infected them once again with germs. These facts make handwashing a better bet.
When washing your hands, make sure to clean all areas, and to scrub for the length of two verses of the song “Happy Birthday”. This is enough time to ensure your hands will be clean.
If you are applying hand sanitizer, experts advise that you do it in the middle of your palm, and spread the sanitizer over all surfaces on both of your hands until they dry in the air.
