Rug Swept, Stephen Thomas Erlewine of Allmusic compared its lyrics to her earlier hit "You Oughta Know," also noting that "this would all seem calculated, an attempt to regain her chart status, if Morissette wasn't so unabashedly earnest, seemingly unembarrassed by her confessions." Stephen Thompson from The A.V. Club praised the track for being "a breezy new single" and "infectious enough to surpass the direst moment of 'Under Rug Swept.'" David Browne of Entertainment Weekly wrote that the song "could even be seen as a sequel to 'You Oughta Know,'" while Nikki Tranter of Popmatters compared the lyrical content on the song to her previous songs "Plastic" and "Jealous," from her first album, Alanis. Larry Flick of Billboard Magazine noted that the track show[s] Morissette proudly wearing her affection for concise, pure-pop hooks," while Mark Blake of Q called it "one of the album's peaks." Kitty Empire of NME wrote a mixed review to the track, although calling it "a tolerable enough tune, mind, for those who think their chocolate craving says something poignant about their inner selves." Chart performance "Hands Clean" was a commercial success in many territories, reaching the top 10 in over six countries while also reaching the top-twenty in seven others. In the United States, the song debuted at number 65 on the week of 2 February 2002, becoming that week's "Hot Shot Debut", and moved up to number 49 the following week. The song cracked the top 40 in its third week, climbing to number 39, and peaked five weeks later at number 23 due to an increase in radio play. On other Billboard component charts, the song managed to reach number 19 on the Mainstream Top 40 and number three on the Adult Top 40. In Canada, "Hands Clean" became her sixth number-one single. In the United Kingdom, the song managed to debut at number twelve, becoming her most successful single since "Thank U" (1998) as well as her latest top-twenty single on the UK charts. In Australia, "Hands Clean" debuted and peaked at number nine, on 8 February 2002. It became her highest-charting single there since "Ironic" in 1996 and her last to reach the top 10. It received a gold certification from the Australian Recording Industry Association for shipping over 35,000 units. In New Zealand, the song experienced more success, debuting at number 48 but peaking at number one ten weeks later.