When is hand sanitizer with at least 60% alcohol recommended?

• A. Always preferred over soap and water
• B. Recommended when soap and water are unavailable
• C. Effective only with waterless formulas
• D. Not recommended for use

Answer: (B)

Hand hygiene in barbering relies on soap and water as the first choice for cleaning hands, with alcohol-based sanitizer as a backup when soap and water aren’t available. A sanitizer that contains at least 60% alcohol is effective for rapidly reducing most microbes on hands that aren’t visibly dirty. It’s best used between clients or when you can’t reach a sink, but it isn’t a substitute when hands are visibly dirty or have come into contact with blood or other contaminants—washing with soap and water is still necessary in those cases. So the recommended use is to reach for hand sanitizer when soap and water aren’t available.