CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- Hand sanitizer sales are up 70 percent from a year ago. You can thank the H1N1 virus for that.
But to be effective, there are some rules to be followed.
"Hand sanitizers are becoming very popular," said Jesse Pike Jr., owner of Pike's Pharmacy in Charlotte. "People like the convenience of them [and] not having to get to the soap and water. It is now a frequent flier off the shelves."
But, Pike admits, "Nothing beats soap and water."
Dr. Tom Zweng with Presbyterian Healthcare agrees. But, he said, hand sanitizer -- when used correctly -- is just as effective.
"If you're using a hand sanitizer, you want to put it in the palm of your hand, about the size of a dime, and you want to rub it around on all the surfaces. That's important -- even between the fingers and also into the fingernails," said Zweng.
He said you'll want to make sure you rub it until your hands are completely dry.
"What's important is alcohol-based hand sanitizer," he said.
Most sanitizers, Zweng said, will have about 60 percent alcohol.
"All of these have been formulated so they're pretty much equally effective," he said.
And, the experts say there's no difference in quality between regular sanitizers and sanitizers marketed toward children.
"They're just more expensive," said Pike.
To be really effective, Zweng said, "We want to wash for about 15 to 30 seconds."
That should be enough to prevent you from spreading any germs.
"If you don't, you haven't done a complete job and there's a risk if someone were to shake your hand or if you were to put your fingers in your mouth, that you might spread the infection from someone else into your own body," said Zweng.
The same applies to soap and water.
It certainly sounds easy enough, but believe it or not, not everyone takes the time to do that.
The best advice, said Dr. Zweng, "Probably a good thing to do is sing happy birthday to yourself twice" while washing your hands.
