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Handwashing Vs Hand Sanitizer: What’s More Effective Against Coronavirus?

By Akinwale Akinyoade

29 March 2020   |   4:30 pm

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Following the outbreak of coronavirus (COVID-19) with several countries affected, tons of information has been disseminated on how best to prevent the disease. Considering that public-health specialists have stressed the importance of keeping your hands clean during a viral outbreak, hand soaps and sanitizers are flying off the shelves. Nigerians are not left out of…

Following the outbreak of coronavirus (COVID-19) with several countries affected, tons of information has been disseminated on how best to prevent the disease.

Considering that public-health specialists have stressed the importance of keeping your hands clean during a viral outbreak, hand soaps and sanitizers are flying off the shelves.

Nigerians are not left out of the coronavirus panic as they have also taken to drugstores and supermarkets for germ-killers especially hand sanitizers.

Before you purchase a hand sanitizer, you need to know if these products are really effective against COVID-19 or are some better than others?

On what the most effective way of preventing the virus is, experts agree that hand washing is a better choice because it is more effective at removing stubborn grime which bugs can cling to and potentially feed on.

Not only that, but hand washing also kills certain pathogens and keeps you safe from not only coronavirus but other infectious diseases, too, like the flu and diarrheal diseases.

Are there special soaps you need to use to wash your hands? There “isn’t enough science” to suggest that over-the-counter antibacterial soaps are any more effective at preventing illness than plain old soap and water, according to the Food and Drug Administration.

In situations where you are unable to wash your hand with soap and water, this is when a hand sanitizer can be an effective tool to kill illness-causing germs.

It is recommended that the hand sanitizer should be at least 60 percent alcohol as it tends to be the most effective, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

However, washing your hands with soap and water or making use of a hand sanitizer is not enough if you are not doing it correctly because then you may still have a virus on your hands.

The CDC recommends wetting hands with clean, running water — warm or cold is fine — and then applying soap. When lathering, make sure to get the backs of your hands, between fingers and under nails. Scrub for at least 20 seconds, rinse well and then dry with a clean towel or let them air dry.

For hand sanitizer, instructions vary by product, whether it’s the number of sprays or the amount to dollop on your hands. Beyond following those guidelines, make sure all areas of your hands are covered — again, including between the fingers and under the nails — and rubbed until dry, per CDC guidelines.