When should you use soap and water versus alcohol-based hand sanitizer?

• A. Alcohol-based sanitizer after exposure to visible blood.
• B. Soap and water for routine hand hygiene when hands are not visibly soiled.
• C. Soap and water when hands are visibly dirty or after contact with visible blood or body fluids; sanitizer for routine hand hygiene when not visibly soiled.
• D. Soap and water and sanitizer interchangeable.

Answer: (C)

Hand hygiene depends on how clean the hands are and what they’ve touched. When hands are visibly dirty or have been in contact with blood or body fluids, soap and water is the best choice because scrubbing and rinsing physically remove dirt and microorganisms. Alcohol-based hand sanitizer is great for quick, routine cleaning when hands aren’t visibly soiled, since it rapidly reduces many microbes. However, sanitizer won’t reliably remove dirt or inactivate all pathogens, especially if hands are dirty or greasy or if exposure involves certain organisms like spores. So the recommended approach is to use soap and water for hands that are visibly dirty or after contact with blood or body fluids, and use alcohol-based sanitizer for routine hand hygiene when hands are not visibly soiled.