In an age where I'm finding out I'm doing everything wrong, I guess it's time to take a look to see if I'm using hand sanitizer correctly.

There are important times and differences between washing hands with soap and water, and pumping some hand sanitizer into your palm.

According to right CDC: 

Soap and water work to remove all types of germs from hands, while sanitizer acts by killing certain germs on the skin.

CDC.gov
CDC.gov
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So here's what the U.S. Center for Disease Control says about how we should be using hand sanitizer:

Use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer that contains at least 60% alcohol. Watch young children when they use hand sanitizer to prevent swallowing alcohol, especially in schools and childcare facilities.

  • Put enough sanitizer on your hands to cover all surfaces.
  • Rub your hands together until they feel dry (this should take around 20 seconds).
  • Do not rinse or wipe off the hand sanitizer before it’s dry; it may not work well against germs.

After blowing your nose, coughing, or sneezing, you should clean your hands by immediately washing your hands with soap or using alcohol-based hand sanitizer to avoid spreading germs.

For best hand-washing practices from the CDC click here.

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