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In this article, industry manufacturers answer common questions asked by building service contractors.

Hand washing should take 15 seconds. What is the appropriate wet time for hand sanitizing? How much sanitizer does it take?

Generally, good hand sanitizers are time kill tested at 15 seconds to ensure adequate efficacy. What is important in the use of hand sanitizers is ensuring complete, wet coverage over the whole hand including the back of the hands, between the fingers and over the nails. A good amount should be dispensed to be sure this complete coverage is possible. 

The type of sanitizer, whether foam, gel, or spray also has a bearing on the amount dispensed. Foam will spread faster, but you may need more as a lot of the product is infused with air to create the foam. Spray may require several doses to get an adequate amount of product, but it spreads quickly over the hand. Gel by the mere nature of its consistency is easily spread and will provide the most complete, wet coverage of all the types.

— Lori Huffman, Head of Marketing, North America, STOKO An Evonik Brand, Greensboro, N.C.

The optimum effectiveness, depends on the situation and setting. Every setting has different demands or regulations, for example in a healthcare environment longer hand sanitizing is necessary and therefore more product than for example hand sanitizing in a shopping mall. For regular hand sanitizing, we recommend using 1 milliliter of sanitizer. This should be dispensed and rubbed onto hands, wrists and between fingers for a minimum of 30 seconds. Jewelry should also be removed when possible.

— Katharina Versluis, Marketing Manager, Gent-l-kleen Products Inc., York, Pa.

Using hand sanitizers should take about the same amount of time as washing with soap, rinsing and drying your hands or about 30 seconds. This is about the amount of time it takes to thoroughly rub the sanitizer into your hands until it dries. The amount of product depends on the size of your hands, but 0.75 milliliters to 1.2 milliliters is about the right amount.

— Dan Renner, Director of Marketing, Kutol Products Co., Sharonville, Ohio