Finding the Best Hand Sanitizer for Your Establishment

Providing a convenient and effective way to clean your hands, hand sanitizers can be used when soap and water isn't available. There are different types of hand sanitizers, such as liquid and gel hand sanitizers. Hand sanitizers consist of various ingredients: Some are made of mostly alcohol, but non-alcoholic varieties are also available for those who are allergic to alcohol. Hand sanitizers may come in handheld bottles, large bottles with a hand pump, or even a dispenser similar in appearance to regular soap dispensers. The type and size of hand sanitizer you need depends on if you're using it for personal use or to ensure your employees have easy access to hand sanitizer – a necessity due to the COVID-19 pandemic. In this hand sanitizer guide, we'll go over the features of different types of hand sanitizers, how you should use hand sanitizer, and more.

What Ingredients Are in Hand Sanitizers?

Many hand sanitizers consist of a disinfectant, such as an ethanol, isopropyl, or non-alcohol disinfectant, as well as a humectant or emollient, which are skin moisturizers such as aloe, glycerin, lanolin, and water. Thickening agents, such as polyethylene glycol or crosspolymers, are added to gel hand sanitizer. Non-alcohol sanitizers utilize quaternary ammonium chlorides, such as benzalkonium chloride, as a disinfectant.

What Are the Different Types of Hand Sanitizers?

What's the Difference Between Liquid and Gel Hand Sanitizer?

Gel sanitizer is most likely what you picture when you think of hand sanitizer. It has thickening agents that make the sanitizer easy to spread around your hands. They've been around for a long time and are still one of the more popular types of hand sanitizers due to their ease of use. Liquid hand sanitizer lacks the thickening agents found in gel sanitizers; however, it still disinfects your hands just as gel would. Liquid sanitizer can get into each crease of your hands, providing complete coverage. The one downfall of liquid hand sanitizer is that it can be difficult to apply without spilling some on yourself, the floor, or surrounding surfaces. However, there's no need to worry if the liquid sanitizer gets on these surfaces, as it can also disinfect them.

Can you do anything about the smell of hand sanitizer?

Bad-smelling hand sanitizer is the result of poor manufacturing. Bad-smelling product hasn't been charcoal filtered or distilled to the right purity. If you're bothered by the aroma of your hand sanitizer, there is a way to make your sanitizer smell more appealing to you. To mask some of ethanol's strong smell, you can add a couple drops of essential oil to the sanitizer. However, you should know that essential oils may increase the stickiness of the sanitizer, so ensure your hands are completely dry before touching any surfaces, as you may pick up germs and debris.

How Should I Use Hand Sanitizer?

Depending on the type of dispenser you use, how your sanitizer is applied to your hands may vary. Gel sanitizers can be in bottles with hand pumps and dispensers that are activated either by placing a hand under the unit or by pushing a lever. Once the gel hand sanitizer has been dispensed on your hands, you simply need to rub it in. Make sure that you rub the sanitizer in for a full 30 seconds. You can sing "Happy Birthday" three times to ensure you've rubbed in the sanitizer for the right amount of time. Liquid hand sanitizer can be dispensed from a bottle with a hand pump or as a fine mist. Like with gel sanitizer, you just need to thoroughly rub the sanitizer on your hands. With both gel and liquid sanitizer, ensure that your hands are free of oil and debris, and make sure you rub between your finger, underneath your fingernails, and on the backs of your hands. Let the hand sanitizer air dry before touching any surfaces.

What Can Survive Hand Sanitizer?

Hand sanitizer with a concentration of 70 percent alcohol or higher can kill almost every germ it comes in contact with, including Salmonella, Staphylococcus, influenza, and more. However, hand sanitizer that hasn't been properly applied can expose you to certain germs and bacteria. So it's extremely important to apply your hand sanitizer properly, making sure your hands are dry and that you don't wipe any off. You should know, however, that the difference between hand sanitizer and soap is that soap can clean off not only germs and bacteria but also oil, dirt, and more. Hand sanitizer is ideal for instances where you don't have access to soap and water.