During the global health crisis, hand sanitizer became increasingly prominent as a symbol of safety and security. Its portability and convenience led to its widespread adoption in households, workplaces, and public spaces. However, despite the established demand and usage of hand sanitizers, entrances to public places and common areas, where hand disinfection was once available, now often lack supplies or contain empty dispensers.
Hand Hygiene Survey trilogy
Kiilto conducted a survey to comprehend the shifts in consumers’ hand hygiene habits prompted by COVID-19 and its broader impact on behavior, encompassing cleaning practices and public conduct across 2020, 2022, and 2024.
The goal was to explore the evolution of hygiene behaviors, pinpoint vital factors shaping the public’s hygiene practices, and examine emerging norms in the current “new normal” era.
Respondents were asked to evaluate things such as
- Personal hand hygiene routines
- Important factors when choosing and buying a hand disinfectant product
- Hygiene products that employer should provide
- Cleaning habits at home
- Cleaning habits at public spaces
Main Take aways
Post-pandemic, attitudes towards hand hygiene have become more relaxed. Yet still, up to 56 % own a bottle of hand disinfectant, with up to 27 % carrying it with them. Despite a slight decrease, the proportion remains significant, especially during travel.
Awareness of hygiene has increased due to the pandemic. Demand for hand disinfectant products remains high even after the pandemic. For example, there’s a general desire for improved workplace hygiene and 61 % hope employers would provide hand disinfectant during working hours.
Consumers also prefer using surface cleaning agents or disinfecting in public spaces if available. In addition, 62 % of people still find hand disinfectants being available in public spaces bring a sense of safety. This is why it’s still important to provide disinfectants for visitors in public premises, even though the dangers of the pandemic have mostly passed.
The top 3 most important factors in choosing hand disinfectant are:
- Availability (Avg. 2024: 4,1 / 5,0, 2022: 4,1)
- Does not dry out or irritate skin (2024: 4,1, 2022: 4,0)
- It has documented effect on bacteria and virus (2024: 3,8, 2022: 4,0)
Kiilto offers a wide range of hygiene solutions for different industries and applications requiring a high level of hygiene. The detergents, cleaning agents and equipment are specifically developed for professional use. Kiilto offers also a versatile range of fragrance-free skin cleansing liquids, hand disinfectants, moisturizers, and other personal hygiene products developed for professionals and customers.