Proper Use

• Remove visible dirt from your hands with soap and water before using alcohol-based hand sanitizer. Rub a dime-sized amount of hand sanitizer all over your hands and fingers without skipping any surfaces and continue rubbing until the liquid is absorbed, according to the Minnesota Department of Health. Help young children rub the sanitizer into their hands.
  
  

Safety Guidelines

• Monitor children when they are using alcohol-based hand sanitizers, warns the Texas Poison Center Network. While a child who licks his hand after using hand sanitizer is unlikely to experience significant symptoms, ingesting a few teaspoons of the liquid could cause an elevated blood alcohol level requiring medical attention. Both children and adults should avoid getting hand sanitizer into the eyes.
  
  Avoid purchasing large containers of hand sanitizer if you have children; they are less likely to ingest a toxic amount if the bottle contains 30 milliliters of sanitizer or less, according to Ronica Farrarof the Texas Panhandle Poison Center.
  
  Talk to your children about the dangers of hand sanitizer, and keep it out of your child's reach when not in use. Realize that hand sanitizer is often available in schools, public restrooms and other places where children may have easy access to it. Be sure your children understand what it is and how to use it.
  
  

Warning

• Do not touch your eyes while your hands are wet with hand sanitizer, and make sure children wait until the sanitizer has dried on the skin before eating.
  
  If any amount of hand sanitizer is ingested or splashed into the eyes, call Poison Control at 1-800-222-1222 for instructions.