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It can be challenging to wash your hands every time you sneeze or cough, especially when you are outdoors or in a car. Hand sanitizers are convenient, so they make it more likely that people will clean their hands, and that's better than not cleaning at all.

According to the Centers for Diseae Control (CDC), however, for hand sanitizer to be effective it must be used correctly. That means using the proper amount (read the label to see how much you should use), and rubbing it all over the surfaces of both hands until your hands are dry. Do not wipe your hands or wash them after applying.

Are all hand sanitizers created equal?

It's important to make sure any hand sanitizer, or alcohol sanitizer spray you do use contains at least 60 percent alcohol. 

Studies have found that sanitizers with lower concentrations or non-alcohol-based hand sanitizers are not as effective at killing germs as those with 60 to 95 percent alcohol.

In particular, non-alcohol-based sanitizers may not work equally well on different types of germs and could cause some germs to develop resistance to the sanitizer.

Are hand sanitizers and other antimicrobial products bad for you?

There is no proof that alcohol-based hand sanitizers and other antimicrobial products are harmful.

They could theoretically lead to antibacterial resistance. That's the reason most often used to argue against using hand sanitizers. But that hasn't been proven. In the hospital, there hasn't been any evidence of resistance to alcohol-based hand sanitizers.

However, while there aren't any studies showing that hand sanitizers definitely pose a threat, there also isn't any evidence that they do a better job of protecting you from harmful bacteria than soap.

So while hand sanitizers have their place — in hospitals or when you can't get to a sink — washing with soap and warm water is almost always a better choice.