I have a friend who is obsessive about germs. She imagines them everywhere and keeps a supply of antibacterial hand sanitizer on her desk, in her purse and on her keychain. Her dishwashing liquid is antibacterial as is her hand soap in the bathroom. I have a bottle of hand sanitizer but I keep it in the bathroom and as long as I am in there, I usually just wash my hands so it doesn’t get used much. Is she really safer from germs than I am?

Not according to the Harvard Health Letter. In their January 2007 issue they state that in studies, washing hands with soap and water for 15 seconds reduced bacterial counts by about 90%. The alcohol based hand sanitizers are convenient because you don’t need water, but alcohol doesn’t kill everything. To top it all off, there is the issue of possibly worsening bacterial resistance to antibiotics. Plus, they state that to be effective, the sanitizer needs to come into contact with all surfaces of your hands.

The Harvard Health Letter suggests these steps to make sure you clean your hands thoroughly, whether you’re using soap and water or a hand sanitizer:

1. Spread cleaner over hands.
2. Clean backs.
3. Clean fingertips.
4. Clean fingernails.
5. Clean thumbs.
6. Clean between fingers.

Hand washing: Don’t give up on plain soap and water, from the Harvard Health Letter