Soap beats sanitizers, hands down

The debate on hand sanitizers versus hand washing is over. To keep nasty infections away, save money and get your hands really clean, here's what to do: Stick your hands under the faucet, lather up with plain soap and rub-a-dub-dub.

Your doc should, too.

Yep, even though medical offices, emergency centers and hospitals are now littered with hand-sanitizer dispensers, dangerous hospital-acquired infection rates are only starting to decline. More news: Places like long-term-care facilities, where staffers rely on sanitizers more than soap and water, have had higher-than-usual outbreaks of severe stomach bugs that cause diarrhea and vomiting.

We aren't saying that the money spent on hand sanitizers (more than $100 million annually) is money down the drain. Sanitizers are great for those times when you can't get to a sink -- if you use them correctly. That means the sanitizer has to be at least 60 percent alcohol (check labels), and you have to use enough to keep rubbing your hands with the moist gel for 20 seconds.

But whenever you can, wash up with soap, especially if you've touched raw food or garbage, anyone near you has coughed or sneezed, or you've been roughhousing with Rufus. And do it right:

Soap up to the wrists and rub for 20 seconds. If you stop before you've hummed "Happy Birthday" twice, the germs win, not you.

In public restrooms, dry off with a clean paper towel, then use it to turn off the taps and open the exit door.