Soap First: Teaching Kids When to Wash and When to Sanitize

Kids will happily pump hand sanitizer all day. Getting them to stand at a sink for 20 seconds with soap is a different story. But for most of the moments that matter in a school day, the sink is the better choice.

This post is for teachers, aides and school nurses. It covers handwashing for kids: when they should wash, when sanitizer is fine, and how to make both habits stick.

Why soap and water come first

CDC says washing hands with soap and water is the best way to get rid of germs in most situations. Soap and scrubbing lift dirt, grease and germs off the skin, and the rinse carries them down the drain.

Sanitizer is the backup. CDC says that if soap and water aren’t readily available, use a hand sanitizer with at least 60% alcohol. CDC also says sanitizer may not work as well when hands are visibly dirty or greasy. Kids coming in from recess with muddy hands need the sink, not a pump.

When kids should wash

CDC’s key times to wash hands translate easily to a school day:

• Before eating. Lunch, snack, classroom parties.
• After the bathroom. Every time.
• After blowing their nose, coughing or sneezing into their hands.
• After touching animals, including the class pet and its food or cage.
• After touching garbage, like clearing lunch trays.
• When hands look dirty, after recess, P.E. or an art project.

When sanitizer makes sense

Sanitizer fills the gaps when a sink isn’t close: at the classroom door, after sharing a tablet, before a test, on a field trip, at the bus line. Hands should look clean when you use it.

CDC’s backup advice names an alcohol sanitizer with at least 60% alcohol. That’s what CDC recommends, and we want to say so plainly. Many schools still choose an alcohol-free option for the classroom shelf. A 61% alcohol gel is 122 proof and flammable, and swallowing even a small amount of alcohol sanitizer can poison a child, according to FDA.

If your school goes alcohol-free, I.C. Alcohol-Free Foaming Hand Sanitizer uses benzalkonium chloride 0.10% instead of alcohol. It kills 99.99% of germs in as little as 15 seconds. It’s non-flammable, fragrance free and dries with no sticky residue. It’s NSF registered (E3).

Alcohol-free does not mean safe to swallow. Keep every sanitizer, with or without alcohol, out of reach of young children, and have an adult hand out the pumps. FDA and CDC both say to supervise young children using hand sanitizer.

Teaching the wash

CDC’s five steps are easy to teach and easy to put on a poster by the sink:

1. Wet your hands with clean running water.
2. Lather with soap. Get the backs of your hands, between your fingers and under your nails.
3. Scrub for at least 20 seconds. That’s “Happy Birthday” twice.
4. Rinse well under running water.
5. Dry with a clean towel or air dryer.

For the classroom sink or the staff restroom, I.C. Antibacterial Hand Cleaner is a gentle, fragrance-free hand cleaner. Benzalkonium chloride kills 99.99% of germs. It has no harsh solvents and no drying alcohol. It’s NSF registered (E2).

Making it stick

• Build it into the schedule. Line up for the sink before lunch the same way you line up for the door.
• Model it. Kids copy what adults do. Wash where they can see you.
• Make the sink easy. Keep soap and towels stocked and a step stool for small kids.
• Use the door pump for transitions. Coming back from the library or the computer lab, a pump of foam at the door is quick and keeps the line moving.
• Praise the scrub, not the speed. Ten seconds of splashing isn’t a wash.

What to watch for

• Swallowing. If a child swallows any hand sanitizer, call Poison Control at 1-800-222-1222 right away. Call 911 if the child has trouble breathing or won’t wake up.
• Sore, cracked hands. Staff who sanitize and wash all day can end up with dry, cracked skin. When sanitizer stings, people stop using it. Lotion after the last wash of the day helps.
• Eyes. Teach kids to rub until dry and keep their hands away from their eyes until then.

For more on hand hygiene in schools, see our education page and the five-chapter education Field Notes.

A day at a glance

• Arrival: sanitizer at the door if hands look clean. Kids who rode in muddy or sticky go to the sink.
• Morning bathroom breaks: soap and water, every time.
• Snack and lunch: wash at the sink before eating. Use sanitizer only where there’s no sink nearby.
• Recess and P.E.: wash on the way back in if hands are dirty. Sanitize if they look clean and the line is long.
• Last bell: one more pump on the way out, and staff wash before heading home.

FAQ

Is hand sanitizer as good as washing?

Not for most situations. CDC says soap and water are best, and sanitizer is the backup when soap and water aren’t available. Sanitizer also doesn’t work as well on visibly dirty or greasy hands.

Does CDC recommend alcohol-free sanitizer for schools?

No. CDC’s backup advice is a sanitizer with at least 60% alcohol. Schools that choose alcohol-free often do it because alcohol sanitizer is flammable and can poison a child who swallows it. I.C. Alcohol-Free Foaming Hand Sanitizer kills 99.99% of germs with benzalkonium chloride instead.

Is alcohol-free sanitizer safe if a child swallows it?

No sanitizer is meant to be swallowed. Keep all sanitizers out of reach of young children and call Poison Control at 1-800-222-1222 if a child swallows any.

Sources

• CDC, About Handwashing (key times; 60% alcohol sanitizer when soap and water aren’t available): https://www.cdc.gov/clean-hands/about/index.html
• CDC, About Hand Sanitizer (dirty or greasy hands; supervise young children): https://www.cdc.gov/clean-hands/about/hand-sanitizer.html
• FDA, Safely Using Hand Sanitizer: https://www.fda.gov/consumers/consumer-updates/safely-using-hand-sanitizer
• CDC, Clean Hands (handwashing steps): https://www.cdc.gov/clean-hands/