A hand sanitiser or gel is a convenient way helping reduce infection from others to yourself and the spreading and transmitting of germs to others, especially where typical hand washing facilities may not be easily or readily accessible. The use of sanitiser (sometime spelt sanitizer) is UK.Gov recommended as a way of helping reduce infection, as the sanitiser (which usually contains alcohol) helps clean your hands and at 70% or higher alcohol content, can kill up to 99.99% of germs.

Please note that experts have warned that by leaving hand sanitiser in direct sunlight or for example in a hot car, it could potentially render it less effective because the active ingredient, (normally alcohol) could evaporate, so please store your hand sanitiser in the shade or in a cool place so as not to degrade.

Alcohol-based hand sanitizers can quickly reduce the number of microbes on hands in some situations, but sanitizers do not eliminate every type of germs. Washing hands with soap and water are potentially more effective than using hand sanitizers at removing certain kinds of germs, like norovirus, but sanitisers are infinitely better than other cleaning agents or if normal hand washing facilities aren't available.