Is it safe to use hand sanitizer instead of actually washing your hands?

Question

Well here's the deal, I go to a public high school and they keep the bathrooms incredibly nasty and you would think the girls bathroom would be the cleanest bathroom ever because girls are supposed to be nice and tidy but anyway, so I barely use it unless I'm in the red zone and I just HAVE to go other then that I take care of all my business before I leave the house. Me having this big phobia of getting sick I hate touching the sinks and the doors so if I use the restroom I don't want to use the soap. I carry my own personal thing of Hand sanitizer and would like to use that as a substitute for touching the nasty sink. Would that pass as washing my hands since it does kill germs?

Answer 1

Unless your hands are soiled with fecal material after using the bathroom, hand sanitizers are certainly appropriate.  To avoid the most germs, put the sanitizer on your hands AFTER you leave the room so you don't pick up germs from the doors.  Doors, faucets, doorknobs are areas of high germ transmission.  Hospitals use hand sanitizers all the time as staff goes from room to room.

Answer 2

NO NO NO NO!!

Had sanitizing gel is not a substitue for washing your hands with soap and water!!

I also have a phobia of becoming sick but you are making your self more at risk of being sick by only using Hand gel!!

Bugs such as MRSA, Other Staph bugs, C.diff and many others will not be washed of your hands with hand gel!

Answer 3

Yes, as long as your hands are not visibly soiled the hand sanitizer works just fine. As far as touching things in the bathroom, if there are paper towel you don't have to. After you have washed your hands dry them with the paper towel and then shut off the sink and open the door with the paper towel.

Answer 4

Yes, it's a good alternative to washing your hands but apparently it does dry out your hands - the alcohol in the hand sanitizer that is. Hope you can persuade the school to do something about the bathrooms though it sounds like it would be a long shot.