[JavaMama]

I use both... at home or somewhere with access to running water I prefer soap and warm/hot water for adequate handwashing (I've heard some suggesting singing the ABC song as a way to know you've washed long enough).

However, I'm a midwife... when I have Amish appts, I am in and out of different family's homes all day- I really don't want to be spreading any colds or germs from one family to another if I can help it. Some have running water, others do not. So, on Amish prenatal days I use hand sanitizer (EO or Burt's Bees brand, chemical free) before and after I enter each home. If I am at a new order Amish home with running water, I'll wash my hands really good with soap while I'm there too.

And fwiw, I only use antibacterial soap if it is the only kind available... the common ingredient in antibacterial soap has been banned in Europe.

@home I tend to rinse my hands with water unless I've used the bathroom or touched meat, and then I wash my hands well with non-antibacterial soap.

My dh washes his hands all the time, lots of soap, and his hands are always dry... in the winter they end up cracked open.