Coronavirus hygiene: The best way to wash your hands
If you can't access soap and water, sanitiser is the next best thing, according to a World Health Organisation advisor.
Hand sanitiser is one of the products people across the world have been panic buying in the hope of protecting themselves against the spread of the virus, but experts warn the product is far from a silver bullet.
Professor Marylouise McLaws, an expert in infectious disease control at University of New South Wales, told A Current Affair that hand sanitiser some may not kill the germs associated with the virus.
A black light torch shows how much bacteria remains on your hands if you don't wash them properly. A Current Affair
"If you have a sanitiser that doesn't have an anti-bacterial and an anti-viral it won't work in this particular situation," she said.
Hand sanitisers are anti-bacterial and the coronavirus is a virus.
Coronavirus hand hygiene guide World Health Organisation
While some hospital grade hand-sanitisers are also anti-viral, the majority of the products available on the shelf are just anti-bacterial.
Professor McLaws says while sanitisers play an important role in hospitals, all we need to wash our hands regularly and thoroughly at home is soap and water.
"Soap basically provides the slippery dip for germs to just get off your hands and be rinsed off," Professor McLaws explained.
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The trick is washing your hands correctly, which means for at least 20 seconds, ensuring that you lather your fingers tips and nails beds, as well as palms and between fingers.
"On average we touch our face about 23 times an hour," Professor McLaws said, which is why good old fashion hand washing is such a crucial defence against coronavirus.
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