What kind of Hand Sanitizers do you prefer and why?

What kind of hand sanitizer do you prefer to use or see in food processing facility's and why?  We currently use a non-alcohol based sanitizer but are thinking of switching. 

Thanks! 

Here's a good article I came across a few weeks ago:

https://blog.zogics....and-sanitizers/

What kind of hand sanitizer do you prefer to use or see in food processing facility's and why?  We currently use a non-alcohol based sanitizer but are thinking of switching. 

 

Thanks! 

We currently use Alcohol based and I do prefer them over non-alcohol based. They kill far more "germs" even the contagious ones. I also think mentally when one uses alcohol based on their hands, the smell itself gives them a sense of satisfaction that their hands are really clean far more than non-alcoholic based. 

We currently use Alcohol based and I do prefer them over non-alcohol based. They kill far more "germs" even the contagious ones. I also think mentally when one uses alcohol based on their hands, the smell itself gives them a sense of satisfaction that their hands are really clean far more than non-alcoholic based. 

I agree! This is exactly what prompted this question. I am constantly using our hand sanitizers right now because I have a bit of a cold and I never realized it before but when I pumped some into my hand and couldn't smell the alcohol it made me question if my hands were actually getting clean. That's when I noticed that we use a non-alcohol sanitizer and began my quest to find some answers. 

CDC seem to favour alcohol based..

"Washing hands with soap and water is the best way to reduce the number of microbes on them in most situations. If soap and water are not available, use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer that contains at least 60% alcohol."

https://www.cdc.gov/...-sanitizer.html

Though they note a potential downside:

"Ethyl alcohol (ethanol)-based hand sanitizers are safe when used as directed, ²³ but they can cause alcohol poisoning if a person swallows more than a couple of mouthfuls ²⁴."

No consuming sanitizers - perhaps a sentence to throw in the hygiene procedure :rolleyes:

This HSE paper has some interesting reading on alcohol sanitizers v rubs v other methods:

http://www.hse.gov.u...rpdf/rr1007.pdf

Note: "

A study by Kampf (2008) showed that hand rub preparations containing 60-62% (w/w) alcohol were less effective at removing 1x108 Serratia marcescens from hands (1.9-2.6 logs) than that of Hibiclens (containing 4% chlorhexidine gluconate), which was used as a reference hand rub and reduced bacterial numbers by 2.39 log. Hand rub containing 85% ethanol was, however, more effective than that of the Hibiclens reference preparation reducing bacterial counts by 2.79 log. " p21.

Also:

"The best antimicrobial efficacy can be achieved with ethanol (60 to 85%), isopropanol (60 to 80%), and n-propanol (60 to 80%). The activity is broad and immediate. Ethanol at high concentrations (e.g., 95%) is the most effective treatment against naked viruses, whereas n-propanol seems to be more effective against the resident bacterial flora. The combination of alcohols may have a synergistic effect. The antimicrobial efficacy of chlorhexidine (2 to 4%) and triclosan (1 to 2%) is both lower and slower. Additionally, both agents have a risk of bacterial resistance, which is higher for chlorhexidine than triclosan. Their activity is often supported by the mechanical removal of pathogens during hand washing. Taking the antimicrobial efficacy and the mechanical removal together, they are still less effective than the alcohols. Plain soap and water has the lowest efficacy of all".

https://www.ncbi.nlm...pubmed/15489352

Hi

We are currently using Iodine in our facillity (dipping hands with gloves in a bucket of the solution), but i've always work with Alcohol Base sanitizer, and im working in changing the perspective about this.

Does anybody else use iodine or dipping stations to satinize? :whistle: 

I usually prefer a hand sanitizer which has more alcohol so it would surely kill all germs and viruses, but I also make sure it does not damage my skin. I recently bough some from https://swisspharmax.com  and it worked great. Since most of hand sanitizers that are being sold locally are sold out.

Alcohol free.  There is the very real issue of skin dryness, cracking, and dermatitis from alcohol based sanitizers.  I experience this issue myself and have to struggle with it everyday and that's without using alcohol based sanitizer.  We use non-alcohol in our facility.  As The Food Scientist's linked article points out there is no significant difference in efficacy between alcohol and non-alcohol based.  In fact, non-alcohol based has a tendency to have more "staying power" over time.