Avoid hot water, and use a moisturizing soap. Wash with cool or lukewarm water. Hot water isn’t more effective than warm water, and it tends to be more drying. Opt for liquid (instead of bar) soaps that have a creamy consistency and include humectant ingredients, such as glycerin. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has announced recalls of several hand sanitizers due to the potential presence of methanol. A 2017 study also found that alcohol-based hand sanitizer formulations with ethanol, isopropanol, or both were effective at killing viral pathogens, such as:

Most alcohol-based hand sanitizers contain ethanol, isopropanol, n-propanol, or a mixture of these agents. The most effective antimicrobial activity comes from alcohol solutions with: Gregory Poland, M.D.: So you wash your hands while singing happy birthday to yourself, you get between the fingers, the fingertips, the thumb, you turn the water off with a paper towel, and you open the door to leave with a paper towel and dispose of the paper towel. That's how you wash your hands — ideally, with warm, soapy water. https://www.fda.gov/consumers/consumer-updates/antibacterial-soap-you-can-skip-it-use-plain-soap-and-water Also, there’s no evidence to suggest that the water temperature makes a difference. According to one study, washing your hands in warm water doesn’t seem to get rid of more germs.Use skin moisturizers. Look for skin creams, ointments, and balms that help keep water from leaving your skin. These include moisturizers with ingredients that are: Ian Roth: Dr. Poland says that in public washrooms there are often more bacteria on those faucets than in the toilet water. So, next time you’re at the Gregory Poland, M.D.: First, keep your hands out of your eyes, nose and mouth. Second is either wash your hands with soap and water, or use hand sanitizer.

Methanol is a toxic alcohol that can have adverse effects, such as nausea, vomiting, or headache, when a significant amount is used on the skin. More serious effects, such as blindness, seizures, or damage to the nervous system, can occur if methanol is ingested. Drinking hand sanitizer containing methanol, either accidentally or purposely, can be fatal. See here for more information on how to spot safe hand sanitizers. In 2017, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) banned the use of the antibacterial agents triclosan and triclocarban. The reasons cited by the FDA for the ban of these agents included: Ian Roth: Children often are taught at a young age to wash their hands — before eating and after using the restroom. It's an easy and effective way to stay healthy and avoid spreading disease.Plain soap is just as good at disinfecting your hands as over-the-counter antibacterial soaps. In fact, research has found that antibacterial soaps aren’t any more effective at killing germs than regular, everyday soaps.

Carrico AR, et al. (2013). The environmental cost of misinformation: Why the recommendation to use elevated temperatures for handwashing is problematic.

White S, et al. (2020). The determinants of handwashing behaviour in domestic settings: An integrative systematic review. DOI: