Choosing from the Types of Hand Sanitizer in Stock
The COVID-19 pandemic left store shelves bare and customers scurrying in search of essential items such as hand sanitizer. To help speed up hand sanitizer production, the FDA temporarily rolled back the requirement of hand sanitizer manufacturers to print the best before date on the packaging. This helped manufacturers catch up with the demand to a certain degree, but it may still be difficult to easily find an outlet with the right type of hand sanitizer in stock. Forgoing hand sanitizer, however, is not an option these days. Hand sanitizer and face masks are amongst our best defenses against the COVID-19 virus.
Nowadays, with so many new hand sanitizer brands available in stores and online, it is a bit more challenging to find the right hand sanitizer in stock. Some of the most recognizable brands may be a bit more difficult to find; so, many people reach for alternatives that may not be as good. Luckily there are ways to find and choose good and effective hand sanitizer which is in stock. Whether you are shopping online or in-store, there should be a few options in stock to choose from.
Types of Hand Sanitizer
Once you have found stock of hand sanitizer to choose from, you still need to make sure you’re buying the correct product. Hand sanitizers vary considerably. It’s better to get a good hand sanitizer from the start than to find out through trial and error whether the hand sanitizer you have bought is a good-quality and effective option. By looking at the ingredients, you can gauge how effective and safe the product is and whether it will dry out or moisturize your hands — more than ingredients, you want to know a few other things too.
Non-alcoholic Hand Sanitizer
If you’ve used hand sanitizer that dries your hands out, you’re likely tempted to give non-alcoholic hand sanitizer a go. Unfortunately, it just isn’t as effective at killing germs. Remember, any hand sanitizer containing moisturizing glycerin or oil will help moisturize your hands. The CDC and other health organizations do not recommend hand sanitizer, which does not contain alcohol because it does not denature and kill 99.9% of germs as it should. Non-alcoholic hand sanitizer also typically contains biocidal agents, which are thought to create antibiotic resistance.
Active Ingredients in Hand Sanitizer
The active ingredient in an effective hand sanitizer must be alcohol. Alcohol serves to strip the outer layer of the virus and bacteria cells and kill or neutralize them. Without alcohol, the germs would be free to multiply and infect us with potentially harmful illnesses and diseases. Through research and testing, the CDC, FDA, WHO, and other health organizations have agreed that a minimum alcohol content of 60% is essential to ensure that 99.9% of viruses and bacteria are killed.
Types of Alcohol in Hand Sanitizer
The type of alcohol used in hand sanitizer is vital because the wrong kind of alcohol could be toxic even when only applied topically. Ethanol and isopropanol are the most common types of alcohol used in hand sanitizer; they are both safe and effective. Some hand sanitizers contain methanol or wood alcohol; this hand sanitizer is to be avoided at all costs because it contains toxins that can be absorbed through the skin. The FDA tests hand sanitizers to ensure their efficacy and to ensure that they do not contain toxic ingredients such as methanol. To this end, they have a growing list of hand sanitizers which you should avoid.
Home Made Hand Sanitizer
Many people have made and continue to make their own hand sanitizer, either through the frustration of not finding stock in stores or online or because it sounds like fun. The problem with making hand sanitizer in non-clinical settings is that the ingredients may not be measured precisely. The ingredients may not be the exact right ingredients, and the end product has not been lab-tested. The CDC does not recommend making your own hand sanitizer because its efficacy simply cannot be ensured, which will ultimately leave you open to potentially harmful pathogens.
Lab Tested Hand Sanitizer
Just as homemade hand sanitizer is not lab tested, there are also many hand sanitizers on store shelves and online which have not been tested to ensure their efficacy. Lab testing is carried out to ensure that the product doesn’t contain toxic ingredients, it contains enough alcohol to be effective, killing 99.9% of viruses and bacteria.
The Expiry Date
Before you seal the deal, you want to ensure that the hand sanitizer in stock has not passed its best before or expiry date. Hand sanitizer typically remains effective two years after the manufacture date, but over more time, begins to lose its efficacy. The reason is that the alcohol content may have dropped through evaporation. Some brands have better quality packaging, which prevents the evaporation of alcohol which would likely have been taken into account by the manufacturer and will reflect in its expiry date on the label.
Buy Hand Sanitizer Online
Buying hand sanitizer online is usually the best way to ensure that the product you are ordering is in stock. While you may have to wait a little while for delivery, you are spared the trouble of visiting one shop after another and settling for whatever happens to be available. Online stores usually have an up-to-date stock count, and you are guaranteed to get what you pay for if you are buying from a reputable brand and online outlet.
Elyptol Has a Range of Hand Sanitizer Products
Elyptol hand sanitizer is a high-quality product available for delivery throughout the US. You can rely on the fact that there is stock available when you need it. Elyptol is 99.9999% effective against bacteria and viruses, with lab and real-life testing to prove it.
What makes Elyptol unique is the fact that it contains eucalyptus oil as a moisturizing agent, ensuring that it can be used regularly throughout the day in health care and other settings as needed. Elyptol is also eco-friendly, vegan, and cruel free, so there is no reason not to shop Elyptol.