Hand-washing has been a crucial part of the advice on how to kill germs and stop coronavirus from spreading, with gel sanitisers recommended as a good on-the-go option.
With hot weather this week coinciding with the easing of lockdown rules, making car journeys more likely, many people will be taking hand sanitiser with them on their travels.
However, experts have warned leaving it in a hot car could compromise the active ingredient and make it much less effective.
RSPV Live reports the heat could lead to the alcohol evaporating, making the sanitiser less potent.
Dr Greg Boyce, an associate professor at Florida Gulf Coast University, told ABC News: "It’s definitely an issue if you leave your hand sanitiser in the car for days at a time or weeks.
"Over a longer period of time at higher temperatures, you lose some efficacy in a hand sanitiser because the active ingredient evaporates."
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He said leaving the sanitiser in the car for a journey would be fine, but longer periods of time could affect the product.
As well as the potential for the heat to cause evaporation, it has even led to bottles of hand sanitiser exploding with the pressure.
The Mirror reported last month how an 11-year-old was left in agony after opening hand gel which had been left in a hot car, when the liquid showered her left eye.
Hand sanitiser was one of the first items to be cleared from supermarket shelves when the coronavirus outbreak first started, with many people finding it useful for trips to the supermarkets and when out in public places.
The general consensus from experts is that it needs at least a 60 per cent alcohol content to be effective in tackling coronavirus.
