The difference between sanitizing and disinfecting. One kills more germs than the other

The main difference between sanitizers and disinfectants is that sanitizers reduce the number of germs on a surface whereas disinfectants kill most of them. Sanitizers usually work faster than disinfectants, which can take up to 10 minutes to kill germs. The name hand “sanitizer” is a misnomer since its main germ-fighting ingredient is alcohol, which is a disinfectant. This article was medically reviewed by Graham Snyder, MD, MS, who is the medical director for the Infection Prevention and Hospital Epidemiology branch at University of Pittsburgh Medical Center.