According to CBS News, a 2010 survey revealed that “half of all Americans think the antibacterial gels last longer than they do — which is two minutes, according to germ experts.”
While the article also states that it’s an “important two minutes” such as in a known contamination scenario like shaking someone’s hand who just sneezed, it’s still only two minutes.
“… washing your hands literally washes germs down the drain, “hand sanitizers kill whatever is on your hands at that moment,” says Michael Lin, MD, associate professor in the division of infectious diseases at Rush University Medical Center in Chicago. “If you touch something else contaminated, you need to clean your hands again. The same goes for soap and water,” he says.