Hand Sanitizer Drawbacks

Hand sanitizers are a convenient and effective way to kill germs. At least this was the original marketing pitch behind most hand sanitizers, but as researchers at the Center for Disease Control discovered, antibacterial sanitizers aren't the super solution many people once thought. While hand sanitizer continues offering numerous public health benefits, you should understand the drawbacks of sanitizing gel to make the most healthful decisions for you and your family.

Leaves Grime Behind

• Hand sanitizer is like a shield that destroys invisible bacteria. The sanitizing gel might eliminate the invisible bacteria but doesn't remove the physical grime and filth on your hands and under your finger nails. You can only remove hazardous materials such as feces, blood and various other bacteria with a good soap and water scrubbing. According to the Center for Disease Control, hand sanitizer should supplement, not replace, hand washing.

Toxic Risk

• Small children can't always distinguish between the strawberry-scented sanitizing gel and a sweet treat. Due to 60 percent or higher alcohol content of most effective antibacterial gels, children who ingest even a small amount could die from alcohol poisoning. According to the New York City Department of Mental Health and Hygiene, if you suspect your child has consumed any amount of antibacterial gel, call poison control immediately.

Antimicrobial Resistance

• Soap and water washes away germs, while alcohol-based antibacterial gel slowly destroys bacterial cell structure. The remaining gel residue causes bacteria to regrow into a stronger strain that humans have limited immunity against, reports an 2007 article in Scientific America. This is just one of the problems facing a product whose scientific mode of operation is essentially, "kill everything." Exposure to certain bacteria strengthens your body's immune system. If you kill all the bacteria on your hands with copious amounts of antibacterial gel, you're also weakening your immune system.