Is hand sanitizer better or is handwashing with soap better?

What the evidence says

For most everyday situations, washing hands with soap and water is the top choice. Health Canada and the Canadian Paediatric Society both say scrubbing with soap for 15 to 20 seconds, then rinsing under running water, is the best way to get rid of germs, especially after using the bathroom or when hands look dirty.

Hand sanitizer is a good backup, not a replacement. It works well when soap and water are not around, like at the park or in the car. It needs to contain at least 60% alcohol to actually kill most germs, and kids need to rub it in until hands are completely dry.

The two are not equally good at everything. Soap and water physically washes away dirt, grease and germs, including some tough ones like norovirus (a stomach bug virus) and Clostridioides difficile (a bacteria that causes serious gut infections) that sanitizer struggles to kill. Sanitizer also does not remove chemicals like pesticides from hands the way washing does.

If hands are visibly dirty or greasy, sanitizer may not work well at all, so soap and water is the better choice in that case. This matters most after playing outside, gardening, or handling food.

One safety note just for hand sanitizer: because it contains alcohol, it can be dangerous if a young child swallows it, and Health Canada recommends keeping it out of reach and supervising use. Soap and water carries no similar risk.