HOW PEOPLE ARE USING HAND SANITISERS

Hand sanitiser has become a normal part of our everyday lives – it’s readily available in our workplaces, shops, restaurants, and anywhere else we go these days. And while hand sanitiser is an important part of good hand hygiene as well as convenient when we’re out and about, it should not completely replace washing our hands with soap and water. Why? Because handwashing is still better than hand sanitisers at getting rid of certain types of germs and at cleaning your hands when they are visibly dirty, greasy, or covered with chemicals.

Here, we present some results from a national survey of over 1,500 Australian adults conducted in September 2020*, to highlight how and why people are using hand sanitisers outside of their homes, and what’s important when they’re choosing a hand sanitiser to protect themselves and their family.

*Harris Interactive. Health of the Nation Australia, September 2020. Commissioned by Reckitt Benckiser.

• The Reach Of Hand Sanitiser
• Reasons For Sanitising Hands
• When Do People Normally Sanitise Their Hands?
• Picking Your Hand Sanitiser
• Product Features Important For Hand Sanitisers

The Reach Of Hand Sanitiser

When it comes to acceptance of hand sanitiser as a regular part of everyday life, Australians are pretty on-the-ball.

Reasons For Sanitising Hands

It seems we’re an altruistic bunch – when asked why they used hand sanitiser, the top response from participants was to minimise the spread of germs.

When Do People Normally Sanitise Their Hands?

When people are out and about, there are some common situations when people normally sanitise their hands. Here are the top locations where participants felt the need to protect against germs.

After going to the bathroom

Before eating

After using public transport

After handling money

Picking Your Hand Sanitiser

When it comes to buying hand sanitiser, a high number of participants were satisfied with the products available out there.^†

^†Proportion of participants who strongly or slightly agreed with each perception of products available in the market to sanitise hands outside of the home.

Product Features Important For Hand Sanitisers

Participants were asked to rate a number of different attributes that matter to them when they’re choosing a hand sanitiser. Unsurprisingly, the product’s effectiveness for killing germs and bacteria was the top-rated attribute.

Other high-rating attributes, particularly for women, include a product’s suitability and convenience for everyday use.^‡

Interestingly, product attributes that were lower ranked overall, such as the smell and appearance, were more likely to be considered important to participants aged 18 to 34 years.^‡

^‡Proportion of participants who rated an attribute as extremely or very important when selecting a product to clean/sanitise hands.

So as we can see, hand sanitiser has become a vital part of our daily lives here in Australia, as we aim to protect ourselves and others from germs – especially when we’re on the go and away from home. For on-the-go hand hygiene, trust Dettol’s range of antibacterial Instant Hand Sanitisers to kill 99.9% of germs, for convenient hand sanitisation without the need for soap or water.

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