5 Things to Keep in Mind While Buying a Sanitizer

5 Things to Keep in Mind While Buying a Sanitizer

With Covid19 taking a huge toll and affecting a huge part of the population on a daily basis it is extremely important to take the maximum precautions possible to save ourselves from this widely spreading pandemic. Wearing masks while stepping out, washing hands with soap after touching things are the things that have become a part of our daily routine now. Now there are situations when washing hands with soap isn’t feasible and that’s when we need to use hand sanitizers. Given this situation, there are ‘n’ number of brands that have started making their own hand sanitizers as that’s on high demand now. And we, common public, we are buying them without even knowing whether the sanitizer which we are paying for, is at all effective or not. It’s always good to make an informed choice right? So why not the same should be applicable while buying a hand sanitizer as well when that’s actually a crucial thing in our daily life now. Let’s thus have a look at what are those things which we should keep in our mind and check before buying sanitizer from the market:

Alcohol Content: 

The most vital ingredient in hand sanitizer is alcohol, and to be specific it should be either ethanol or isopropyl alcohol which should be there which acts as a disinfectant. The alcohol-based hand rubs are the means for rapidly and effectively inactivating a wide array of potentially harmful microorganisms on hands. Alcohols are bactericidal, fungicidal, and virucidal. Now the percentage of this alcohol content is that which matters too and this percentage should vary between 60-95% (v/v). The Centre for Disease Control (CDC) says that there are studies to suggest that sanitizers with an alcohol concentration between 60-95%, are more effective at annihilating germs than those that have lower alcohol concentration. There are also non-alcohol-based hand sanitizers in the market, which will not serve your purpose, and thereby in today’s date, it’s a must to get hold of an alcohol-based sanitizer.

Chlorhexidine: 

The presence of chlorhexidine in a hand sanitizer acts as an add on disinfectant. Though it is not a mandatory component of a sanitizer, a hand sanitizer that has this has a greater disinfectant property than the rest.

Hydrogen Peroxide: 

This, though an optional ingredient, is better if the sanitizer has its content. Hydrogen peroxide is a preferred ingredient as it has high anti-bacterial properties but considering the fact that it is corrosive in nature and also difficult to procure in many countries, this isn’t mandatory.

Non-Toxic: 

Make sure the sanitizer is labeled as non-toxic. The only reason should be that the tag of ‘non-toxic’ should be there is that it shouldn’t be harmful to accidental ingestion.

The packaging: 

Check for the container in which the sanitizer is bottled that it should have an airtight closure (as alcohol tends to vaporize) and also is leak proof so that the initial concentration is preserved.Apart from the above mentioned vital checklist while buying a hand sanitizer, you should know that there are basically two types of sanitizers available in the market: Liquid format and gel-based. Both are equally effective given the fact the additional gelling agent doesn’t have some add on effectiveness against viruses or bacteria. Even the added color and fragrance in the sanitizer don’t play any role against germs and different brands add colors of their preference which is perfectly alright!At the end, do remember, the sanitizer bottle has to stored properly, away from heat, and in a cool place. Happy informed decision making ☺