Does Hand Sanitiser Actually Work?

We’ve been told over and over about the importance of using hand sanitiser, but does it actually work?!

Well, there are several ways of looking at that question! As with many things, it’s not quite a simple as it might look. Let’s investigate!

Here are six points to consider about the effectiveness of hand sanitiser:

Hand sanitiser works because the alcohol it’s made with dismantles the viral structure and renders the virus powerless to infect someone. When used properly it is very effective at neutralising viruses.
It needs to be at least 60% alcohol to work! In any lesser concentration it won’t be effective. Balmonds uses 70% alcohol in our sanitiser gel.
You need to be thorough about applying the gel or spray: make sure you use enough and cover every surface of your hands with the sanitiser.
Sanitiser gel won’t work to destroy the virus if your skin is greasy, oily or visibly dirty. The viral particles can get lodged in grease and will be protected from the alcohol.
The best way of cleaning your hands and removing the virus from your skin is to wash them with hot water and soap. The soap (or hand wash) binds to the grease and dirt which the tiny viral particles are stuck to, and they will get washed away with the hot water.
Cleaning your hands - whether with sanitiser or soap - is only one way of protecting yourself from Covid-19; because the virus is airborne and can be breathed in through the nose and mouth as well as transferred to your skin when you touch contaminated surfaces, you need to take other measures to avoid it. Those include wearing masks, staying 2m away from other people, and avoiding being inside in an enclosed space with anyone outside your immediate circle.

For more information about how to manage the hand cleansing when you’ve got sore or sensitive hands, see our blog Is Hand Sanitiser Safe For Eczema?