It is far safer to wash your hands with warm, soapy water!! Those hand sanitizers are a crutch in many cases. They are proven to not work on C-Diff, and I suspect they aren't nearly as good as they are publicized to be, although better than nothing:
http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0CYD/is_11_40/ai_n16689905/
~snipped
"The matter hit close to home for Dr. Boyce when a virulent C. difficile outbreak struck his hospital, months after completion of his study on alcohol-based hand rubs.
Two patients died and three underwent colectomies during a 2-week period--"something I haven't seen in 25 years and hadn't seen in 3 1/2 years" during the study of alcohol-based hand rubs, Dr. Boyce said during a scientific session at the meeting.
Cultures revealed isolates closely related to the highly toxic epidemic strains found in hospitals across the United States and Canada.
Despite his confidence that alcohol-based hand cleaners do not encourage C. difficile outbreaks, he said he believes that soap and water hand washing after diligent use of gloves should be the rule during outbreaks.
He recommended that practice in his hospital. "It kind of killed me to do that," he joked. But he found only about a 25% compliance rate, so he is now implementing a more publicized hand-hygiene campaign. "I think it's fair to say a lot of health care workers have gotten used to alcohol-based hand rubs, and now it's hard to get them to go back to using soap and water," he said.
Dr. Boyce disclosed that he has received funding from Gojo Industries Inc. and has served as a consultant to Mycrocept Corp. and Woodward Laboratories Inc., makers of hand sanitizers and soaps."
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Alcohol will kill some bacteria, but not generally spores. It is not as effective as hand washing, no matter what they tell you. Alcohol attempts to kill the "germ" on your hands, and leaves it there. Appropriate hand washing with warm water and SOAP will emulsify the "germs" and dirt, and wash them down the drain, rather than leaving them on your hands. Think about that the next time your health care provider walks in and rubs some skin sanitizer on their hands. Ask them when the last time they WASHED them was......