Waterless sanitizer comes in every imaginable form, from purse-size to commercial drums; spray, gel, foam, liquid, and wipes-not to mention an array of scents.
Although nothing proves more sanitary than washing with soap and water, waterless hand sanitizer gives users mental satisfaction of a germ-free clean. Not only do we use it for our hands, we sanitize phones, keyboards, door knobs, steering wheels, the computer mouse, calculators, and shopping carts, while staunch germ-busters don’t miss a beat, as they wipe down pens and pencils.
Waterless sanitizer makes eliminating germs and other invisible monsters quick and easy. But there’s one item that may need sanitizing more than anything else. It has the potential to carry every germ you’ve come in contact with, and if you use hand sanitizer regularly, may follow everywhere you go.
So, what object could possibly need sanitizing more than those germ-infested hands? The sanitizer container itself! Now that you think about it, ugh!
An occasional, yet thorough, wash with soap and water will help rid it of hitch-hiking germs and viruses. Especially at times when the flu and hardy viruses such as Norovirus are prominent.
While the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention doesn’t render hand sanitizers as a substitute for washing with soap and water, CNN’s Dr. Sanjay Gupta says, “Although hand sanitizers cannot kill viruses, they can reduce the amount of virus that clings to you.”
Additionally, a New York Times article, “Hand Sanitizers, Good or Bad”, stressed to be careful when purchasing hand sanitizers. If the product contains less than 60% alcohol concentration, it’s unlikely to kill harmful bacteria.
So the next time you shop for waterless sanitizer, check the label to make sure it contains an alcohol concentration worthy to do the job and then, give that bottle an occasional bath.