If the hand sanitizers main mechanism of action (which all are not) is ethanol, then I disagree with LisaM. Ethanol, by its very nature...and why it is used in aseptic cell culture labs on both porous and non-porous surfaces...lyses cell walls and viral coats(which kills bacteria and viruses) as it evaporates.
That being said...most of the lotion and newer brands of hand sanitizers out are not using ethanol as their main ingredient anymore, so I cannot support that mechanism of action...but what we have on hand for quick moments is ethanol gel...and it absolutely does work to kill germs (porous or non-porous surface).