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Cleaning Hands with Sanitizer

  • Cleaning Hands with Hand Sanitizer Home
  • How It Works
  • Alcohol-Based Handrubs: Easy as 1, 2, 3

Hand Hygiene

  • Hand Hygiene Home
  • Soap and Water
  • Hand Sanitizer
  • Why and When
  • Choosing and Using Soap
  • Teaching Hand Hygiene
  • For Schools and Child Care
  • For Food Handlers
  • For Health Care Professionals
  • Posters and Print Materials

Related Topics

  • Food Safety
  • Cover Your Cough
  • Infection Control

Cleaning Hands with Sanitizer

  • Cleaning Hands with Hand Sanitizer Home
  • How It Works
  • Alcohol-Based Handrubs: Easy as 1, 2, 3

Hand Hygiene

  • Hand Hygiene Home
  • Soap and Water
  • Hand Sanitizer
  • Why and When
  • Choosing and Using Soap
  • Teaching Hand Hygiene
  • For Schools and Child Care
  • For Food Handlers
  • For Health Care Professionals
  • Posters and Print Materials

Related Topics

  • Food Safety
  • Cover Your Cough
  • Infection Control
Contact Info
Infectious Disease Epidemiology, Prevention and Control Division
651-201-5414
IDEPC Comment Form

Contact Info

Infectious Disease Epidemiology, Prevention and Control Division
651-201-5414
IDEPC Comment Form

Alcohol-Based Handrubs: Easy as 1, 2, 3

This simple poster (available in two color options) shows three simple steps to cleaning hands with alcohol-based handrubs.

image of the alcohol handrub easy as 1 2 3 poster.

  • Download a print version:
    Alcohol-Based Handrubs: Easy as 1, 2, 3 (PDF)

Alcohol-based handrub

Keep your hands clean!

  • Use an alcohol-based handrub when your hands are not visibly soiled.
  • Wash your hands with soap and water when your hands are visibly soiled.

Alcohol-based handrubs provide several advantages over hand washing with soap and water:

  • require less time than hand washing
  • act quickly to kill microorganisms on hands
  • more effective than hand washing with soap and water
  • more accessible than sinks
  • reduce bacterial counts on hands
  • do not promote antimicrobial resistance
  • less irritating to skin than soap and water
  • can even improve condition of skin

How do you use it?

It is as easy as 1, 2, 3...

When decontaminating hands with an alcohol-based handrub use an amount of alcohol-based handrub sufficient to cover all surfaces of hands.

  1. Apply handrub to palm of one hand.
  2. Rub hands together covering all surfaces of hands and fingers.
  3. Rub until handrub is absorbed.

[Food handlers in restaurants, schools, deli's and grocery stores must wash their hands with soap and water before applying hand sanitizers. Minn Rules Chap. 4626.0070 - 4626.0085]

 Also available in color:

image of the Alcohol handrub easy as 1 2 3 Poster in color.

  • Alcohol-Based Handrubs: Easy as 1, 2, 3 (color) (PDF)
Tags
  • hand hygiene
Last Updated: 11/18/2022

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