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Filed Under cleaning products, Product Safety, Safe Mama Tips
For the longest time, we were always getting the question, what about sanitizing? “I want to carry a hand sanitizer!“ “What about sanitizing my toys/baby bottles/pacifiers?“ It seems like these days, it’s so much more prevalent to see some parent slathering Purell or the like on their kid at every turn. They keep giant warehouse size bottles of it in school classrooms. Parents want to sanitize their entire life. Even my washing machine has a sanitizing mode. Do my kid’s socks really need to be sanitized?
When we were younger our parents weren’t insane about wiping down grocery carts before we sat in them. We didn’t have cart covers. As much as I eschew religious references, like my mother says “God made dirt and dirt don’t hurt!“. Maybe she could use a little polishing on her grammar, but what she says is true. Yu can’t be sterilized all the time. But dirt can be contaminated with pesticides, lead and PDBE’s…. I’m paranoid like that.
I know that there are times when there is a need for something to sanitize when you’re on the run and you have nothing else available to you. Like when the only place to go to the bathroom for miles is an old disgusting gas station rest room with no soap.
Now that I’ve stepped up on my soapbox, here are some natural sanitizer alternatives:
- Clean George Hand Purifier
- Cleanwell
- Dr Bronner’s Hand Sanitizing Spray
- For My Kids
- Healthy Hands
- Joyful Girl
- All natural hand sanitizer by picnic basket crafts
- Quash Moisturizing Hand Sanitizer
Looking to kill bacteria or fight germs in your home? One of our favorite ingredients we’ve recommended time and time again, is vinegar. Another great ingredient is lemon juice (from a fresh squeezed lemon is best). Making a mix of the two to clean your counters and other surfaces in your home beats the pants of off those noxious smelling blue multipurpose cleaners any day of the week.
Make Your Own Hand Sanitizer
You can easily make your own hand sanitizer. Essential oils such as thyme, oregano, tea tree, peppermint, and eucalyptus to name a few are great at killing a host of bacteria. Here’s an easy recipe from eHow.com
Ingredients
- 100% pure aloe vera gel (organic is preferred – aloe can be preserved with parabens)
- Witch hazel
- Tea Tree Oil
- Peppermint Oil
Directions
- Place about 1 cup of your pure aloe vera gel into a bowl.
- Slowly mix in 1-2 teaspoons of Witch Hazel. You do not want the consistency of the gel to become too thin.
- Add 3-4 drops of Tea Tree essential oil, and 3-4 drops of Peppermint essential oil. Slowly stir ingredients together.
- If you find the consistency to be too thin, add more aloe vera gel a teaspoon at a time until you reach your desired consistency.
- Store in a re-purposed container.
Most of the time however, just warm soapy water for 15-20 seconds is more than enough to kill germs. I have my son sing his ABC’s while washing his hands to get into the practice of washing for long enough. I save even the natural hand sanitizers for when we’re truly in need.
Comments
11 Responses to “SafeMama Cheat Sheet: Safer Hand Sanitizers”
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How did you know that I was just researching natural hand sanitizers last night:) I even came to your site to try and find some information on reviews that you have done and then I got to thinking that I wish you would put together a cheat sheet for hand sanitizers since you have other sheets that I have seen and and sure enough you read my mind and here it is. So THANK YOU SOOO MUCH for putting this together for your readers. I am currently using Clean Well, but would love to make my own sanitizer. I see that you mention some essential oils, but is it okay to just use the straight oil on my hands and my baby or should I mix an oil or two with vinegar? What do you suggest to get my started? Thanks in advance for whatever you have~
Hi Julie! I updated the article with a recipe you can try. Hope that helps!
After seeing all the good stuff about clearwell not having triclosan I stocked up on it, it was on sale on webvitamins.com! yay!
What about the babyganics hand sanitizers?
@Jan: We aren’t sure about that one… the ingredients list contains things that look like this: dihydroxypropyl PEG -5 linoleammonium chloride … ? Sounds a little more complicated than is necessary. If a BabyGanics rep wants to assure us its all natural then I welcome that discussion.
We use Cleanwell but I noticed EO hand sanitizer in Whole Foods the other day in scents like lavender and peppermint.
Thanks safemama!! I have also wondered about EO Essentials hand sanitizer. I see that there is alcohol in the ingredients, list, of course natural alcohol, so I wonder if there would be a nasty taste if my son got any in his mouth unlike the Cleanwell you can’t taste a thing.
And btw, I know Witch Hazel is a herb, so will the herb break down once you mix it with aloe vera gel? That was my concern! Thank you in advance safemama Kathy:)
@Alicia: The only reason I didn’t recommend EO, is because it contains alcohol. I will use it in a pinch (like if I touch meat at Whole Foods, since they leave out EO wipes), but I try to steer clear of sanitizers with alcohol in them. Overall, it’s definitely not the worst, by any means, but you know how it is using stuff like that during harsh winters. My hands would be chapped!!
@Jan: BabyGanics uses Benzalkonium Chloride, which is an ingredient we don’t recommend.
I noticed that the All Natural Healthy Hands Hand Sanitizer and the All Natural Hand and Surface Sanitizing Mist use either Distilled grain alcohol or Pure Grain Alcohol. Is that healthier than the alcohol in other hand sanitizers?
P.S. the two sanitizers I mentioned were on your cheat sheet list.