One common question when it comes to health and cleanliness is whether or not handwashing and hand sanitizing are equally effective, and the answer is no. While this crisis has seen sales of hand sanitizer skyrocket, that doesn’t mean that it is the most effective way to deal with a virus. To be effective, hand sanitizer needs to have between 60% and 90% alcohol, and it is a great option if you are unable to use a sink to properly wash your hands, but there are some areas in which hand sanitizer lacks. Of course, dirt and grime are not going to come off your hands as easily with hand sanitizer as it does with soap and water, but more importantly, even the highest alcohol percentage hand sanitizer is not going to be as effective in removing bacteria and viruses from your hands. The purpose of hand sanitizer is to inactivate viruses and bacteria, so if it’s not successful in killing all of it off, there could still be an active virus on your hands. Washing thoroughly with soap and water will remove any infectious matter from your hands, especially if you do it the correct way.
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