Hand Sanitizer

Hello there. I am Hand Sanitizer. Do you know what I am? I am the cool, squishy gel that lives in a little bottle. Squeeze my bottle, and whoosh. Out I come. I feel a little cold and wiggly in your hands. It's a fun feeling. Rub, rub, rub your hands together. Can you feel me getting warm? See? I disappear like magic. But I leave something wonderful behind. I leave your hands all clean and sparkly. My job is to fight the icky germs that you can't see. Sometimes, you can't get to a sink with soap and water after you play outside or before you eat a yummy snack. That's when I can help. I love helping you stay clean so you can keep playing all day long. It makes me feel so happy and proud to keep your hands ready for snacks, for hugs, and for more fun. I'm your little helper in a bottle.

A long, long time ago, I wasn't in a bottle. I was just a sparkly idea in someone's mind. A very clever person named Lupe Hernandez thought of me. Lupe was a nursing student, which means she was learning how to be a nurse and help people feel better. One day, way back in the year 1966, she had a wonderful, big idea. She watched the busy doctors and nurses rushing around. They needed to clean their hands super, super fast after helping one person and before helping another. But sometimes there wasn't a sink with soap and water right there. Lupe thought, 'What if there was a special, magic gel that could clean hands without any water at all?'. And poof. That amazing idea was me. She worked hard to create me, a special gel that could fit in a little bottle. I became a germ-fighting superhero, ready for action. I could travel in pockets and bags, ready to help at any moment. I was so excited to start my important job. Now, I help everyone stay healthy so they can play, learn, and have lots of fun.