HAND SANITIZERS NO BETTER THAN SOAP & WATER

HAND SANITIZERS NO BETTER THAN SOAP & WATER

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. (Wireless Flash) -- Those anti-bacterial hand sanitizers may be no more effective than soap and hot water. According to a new study by Purdue University, antibacterial hand sanitizers don't significantly reduce the amount of bacteria on your hands. In some cases, hand sanitizers even make things worse because the alcohol in them strips the skin of its outer layer of oil. Professor Barbara Almanza says even though manufacturers claim their products are 99.9 percent effective in killing germs, all of the tests were done on inanimate surfaces -- not real hands. Almanza says sanitizers should be used as a supplement to soap and warm water, not a replacement.