- Washing your hands with soap and water is the single best way to prevent the spread of viral illnesses like colds and the flu, and it's the best way to keep bacteria from entering your body. Plain soap is fine - according to the FDA, there is no data to prove that anti-bacterial soaps are more effective than regular soaps.
- With the right hand soap, washing your hands can also be enjoyable. Mrs. Meyer's Clean Day Basil Scented Hand Soap is our top pick because it's free of harsh chemicals, lathers well, and smells great.
- This article was reviewed by Tania Mucci-Elliott, MD, who specializes in infectious diseases related to allergy and immunology for internal medicine at NYU Langone Health.
- Due to fears of the new coronavirus, many of these products are quickly selling out or appearing at prices well above market retail. We're doing our best to keep this guide updated with in-stock purchase links.
When the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention talk about handwashing, it doesn't pull any punches. The CDC website bluntly states that "hand washing saves lives," calling good hand hygiene "like a do-it-yourself vaccine" against myriad ailments.
Let's cut to the chase: You know handwashing is important. You need to do it before meals, after using the bathroom, following contact with anyone who might have been ill, and so forth. It's important to make sure you're washing your hands the right way.
It's estimated that 97% of people fail to wash their hands properly. To ensure you're not one of them, follow this simple protocol recommended by Dr. Elliot: wet, lather, scrub for twenty seconds, rinse, dry. To make sure you hit 20 seconds, many recommend singing a song to hold yourself accountable. There are plenty of popular songs with 20-second choruses to keep this exciting.
Any decent hand soap will kill off most of the germs on your skin. Dr. Elliot confirms that plain soap and water will work just fine. According to the FDA, there isn't enough science to show that over-the-counter antibacterial soaps are better at preventing illness than plain soap and water.
Here are our picks for the best hand soap:
- Best hand soap overall: Mrs. Meyer's Clean Day Basil Scented Hand Soap
- Best hand soap on a budget: Softsoap Coconut and Warm Ginger Liquid Hand Soap
- Best moisturizing hand soap: Jergens Extra Moisturizing Cherry-Almond Hand Wash
- Best antimicrobial hand soap: Dial Original Gold Antimicrobial Soap
- Best foaming hand soap: Method Foaming Lemon Mint Hand Soap
- Best luxury hand soap: Aesop Resurrection Aromatique Hand Wash
Prices and links are current as of 3/6/20.
You can purchase syndication rights to this story here.
Disclosure: This post is brought to you by the Insider Reviews team. We highlight products and services you might find interesting. If you buy them, we get a small share of the revenue from the sale from our commerce partners. We frequently receive products free of charge from manufacturers to test. This does not drive our decision as to whether or not a product is featured or recommended. We operate independently from our advertising sales team. We welcome your feedback. Email us at reviews@businessinsider.com.