We love hand sanitizer

We keep Purell, or the generic equivalent, by the front door, in the car, and in the kitchen. If real, water-and-soap handwashing is either unavailable or inconvenient, we're covered.

Tags: Family travel, Health, Purell

Comments

[Adrian]

... and Target often has special offers on Purell Multi-packs, etc.

[Mieke]

... and there are even tiny (2 oz?) bottles to keep in a purse/diaperbag/briefcase/all of the above :)

I can't understand why you need this stuff. Out and about baby goes with diaperbag, which contains wet-wipes. If its something wet-wipes can't deal with you'll need a sink and running water anyway.

[John]

And as I understand it, from a planet friendly point of view you should avoid the anit-bacterial versions of this stuff .... over use of it is contributing to "super" bacteria

[harriet]

Wipes are good for removing schmutz you can see, yes. But when you take a toddler out for the day (petting zoo? kid's museum?), you might want something to kill the germs before snacktime.

Also, once the alcohol in a product like this evaporates, there's no residual antimicrobial effect (which is the problem the above commenter mentioned). Just check the label and make sure that alcohol is the only active ingredient.

[Colleen]

Don't worry about Purell...it's not antibacterial (regular). Its active ingredient is alcohol. Triclosan is the ingredient to look for as a no-no. Germs are becoming resistant to it.

The only bad thing is that alcohols can be very drying to skin.

[Liz]

alcohol may dry the skin but hand washing and drying can cause major irritation. i like to alternate between the two. if my hands aren't dirty i will sanitize them instead. plus soap and water ISN'T always readily available and hand sanitizer is more effective then a baby wipe.

sanitizing liquid is even used by nurses in hospitals. my aunt is a nurse who works with premies. she has loved this stuff since it was introduced. she said her hands used to get so chapped from all the washing and drying (when nurses wash their hands they scrub them!). i noticed in my maternity room it was foam not liquid. i suppose this cuts down on the drying effect of alcohol. every nurse who came in the room to check on me or the baby used the stuff before touching the baby.

[marie/grandma of 7]

this stuff is dangerous!!! You need to read the articles on snopes.com about the many children that are getting drunk and/or poisoned from the alcohol in these hand sanitizers;just by licking their skin after using it;it only takes 3 squeezes to poison your child;there is no replacement for good old fashioned soap and water;or a baby wipe if you are out!!!

[Ken]

I worry about Purell. It is alcohol based (meaning its flammable), it evaporates in 3-5 seconds, then you are unprotected again. Not to mention alcohol de-fats the skin and dries it out leaving it cracked and vulnerable to other infections. Check out my Pure Works review on my Squidoo lens that is linked here. Thanks.

[Ken]

I worry about Purell. It is alcohol based (meaning its flammable), it evaporates in 3-5 seconds, then you are unprotected again. Not to mention alcohol de-fats the skin and dries it out leaving it cracked and vulnerable to other infections. Check out my Pure Works review on my Squidoo lens that is linked here. Thanks.

[Ken]

http://www.squidoo.com/pureworksfoam

[Ken]

Pure Works Antibacterial Products are far superior to alcohol based Purell. Alcohol evaporates in 3-5 seconds leaving you unprotected that soon. Alcohol is flammable and it de-fats and dries out the skin leaving it cracked open and more vulnerable than when you started.