What are the best non-toxic hand sanitizers that kill Coronavirus?

We’ve done the research,* consulted the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), and reviewed data from non-profit science-based groups, and used that knowledge to find six of the best non-toxic hand sanitizers you can buy that will get the job done. They are:

6 BEST NON-TOXIC HAND SANITIZERS

(available as sprays or gels and in large sizes to reduce plastic trash)

Hot Shot’s Secret Hand Sanitizer Gel  Buy one large gallon jug then decant into smaller reusable bottles to reduce plastic trash

Forward Science Hand Sanitizer  – A 6-pack of 16oz. bottles to reduce plastic trash is still better than a whole bunch of throwaway 2 or 3 oz bottles.

Pipette Hand Sanitizer  – 32oz jug can still be used to re-fill reusable bottles and reduce plastic trash.

Everyone Hand Sanitizer Spray  – If you need small spray bottles for your purse, briefcase or backpack, these work and are non-toxic.

The Naked Bee Gel – This non-toxic hand sanitizer also contains aloe vera gel and witch hazel. The 8 oz. size might be perfect for your workplace or a car trip.

North Star Organics Advanced Organic Hand Sanitizer Gel – 8 oz. – This product  can be used for babies and children as long as you rub it into their skin until it is completely dry.

What Makes These Hand Sanitizers Better Than Others? Safe Ingredients That Work!

The key ingredient to look for in a hand sanitizer is ethanol, also known as ethyl alcohol or rubbing alcohol.

What Ingredients Should You AVOID in Hand Sanitizer? Methanol, and These Others

What if you’re in a store or elsewhere online and see a hand sanitizer that looks appealing or cheap but is not listed above? Before you buy, make sure the sanitizer you’re considering does NOT contain the following ingredients:

METHANOL, also known as Methyl Alcohol or Wood Alcohol:  Methanol is toxic; it is completely different from the ethanol listed above. It is made primarily from natural gas or coal. In fact, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has warned people against using as many as 130 brands of hand sanitizer because they contain methanol.

Methanol is dangerous for several reasons. It is highly flammable. It is extremely toxic to humans if it is ingested or if vapors are inhaled Ingestion of as little as one to four ounces can cause irreversible injury to the nervous system, blindness, or even death. Symptoms of acute methanol exposure may include headache, weakness, drowsiness, nausea, difficult breathing, blurred vision and loss of consciousness.**

In addition to methanol, avoid the following ingredients:

Triclosan (an antibacterial agent that may lead to antibiotic resistance, and is toxic to fish and frogs when it washes into our lakes, rivers and streams)

Synthetic Fragrance (causes allergic reactions like sneezing, headaches, and other flu-like symptoms)

Parabens and Phthalates (linked to hormone disruption)

Most dyes and synthetic colors

You can get more Information on Non-Toxic Hand Sanitizers That Kill Coronavirus from the National Institutes of Health, linked below. ***

Here are more details on the sanitizers we recommend.

Hot Shot’s Secret Hand Sanitizer Gel – Hot Shot’s gel contains four simple and safe ingredients:

80% alcohol, which kills germs and viruses; glycerin (a hand softener); hydrogen peroxide (an additional germ killer); and purified water. Another benefit of this product is that it reduces plastic trash. Buy a one gallon dispenser with a pump, then easily fill up smaller reusable 2oz bottles for backpacks and purses.

Forward Science Hand Sanitizer Spray – Though not quite as low-waste as a one-gallon jug,

Forward Science is sold as a 6-pack of 16oz. spray bottles that still reduce plastic trash. Does not contain dye, triclosan, parabens, or phthalates; made in the USA.

Pipette Hand Sanitizer Gel – Ethyl alcohol, plus moisturizing glycerin and sugarcane-derived squalane, and water. Fragrance-free. Comes in 32oz jug to reduce plastic waste; EWG verified. Buy the large jug and refill smaller reusable containers to limit plastic waste.

Everyone Hand Sanitizer – In addition to meeting the CDC recommendations for hand sanitizing, Everyone Hand Sanitizer also contains vegetable glycerin to keep hands soft, and is available in a variety of plant-based scents (my favorite is lavender).

North Star Organics – This formulation includes aloe, Vitamin E and 65% alcohol; free of dyes, silicones, parabens, SLS, and synthetic fragrances. The 8 oz pump dispenser could be the right size for your workplace, classroom, or reception area or bathroom.

The Naked Bee –  Ingredients include natural honey, aloe vera gel, witch hazel, sea weed extract, green ea extracts and essential oils. No parabens, dyes, phthalates or other nasty ingredients.

In Addition to Avoiding Toxic Ingredients, Beware The Following Misleading Claims and Packaging When Buying Hand Sanitizers

“FDA-approved” – No hand sanitizers have been approved by the FDA. If you see a product being marketed as FDA-Approved, skip it.

“Chemical-Free” – Nothing on Earth is chemical-free. Everything is made up of chemical compounds. Some of those chemicals are safe; others can make us sick. Either way, you and every product you buy consist of chemicals. Don’t let the words “chemical-free” affect your choice.

Products Packaged to Appear as Drinks, Candy, Liquor Bottles, or Cocktails – Hand sanitizer should never be consumed. Keep all sanitizers out of the reach of children.

DON’T DRINK HAND SANITIZER!

You can’t prevent Coronavirus by drinking anything, especially hand sanitizer.

DO USE SOAP AND WATER

Hand sanitizer is very handy to have when you’re not at home. But when you are home, use soap and water primarily. Suds up your hands for 20 seconds then rinse with warm water. Easy peasy.

AND REMEMBER: BUY THE LARGEST DISPENSER OF HAND SANITIZER YOU CAN FIND TO MEET YOUR NEEDS

Empty plastic bottles of hand sanitizer are starting to litter streets and end up in lakes, rivers and streams. You can minimize how much plastic you use and throwaway by buying the largest dispenser of hand sanitizer you can and refill smaller bottles for your purse or your kids’ backpack.

Don’t Miss: Why I Ditched Plastic Water Bottles And You Should, Too! 

Last by not least, here’s a hand graphic from North Star Organics that shows the best way to apply sanitizer so it gets to every part of your hand.

*We base our recommendations on the scientific analyses done by the non-profit research group Environmental Working Group and the green and non-toxic standards set by Made Safe, as well as our own long-standing experience reviewing scientific data on various chemical ingredients.  We also reviewed the:

National Institutes of Health analysis of alcohol-based products being used in hand sanitizers.

Here are the toxic hand sanitizers containing methanol that the FDA wants you to avoid.

** Get more information about methanol from the Methanol Institute.

NOTE: We may earn a teeny tiny commission if you purchase products using our link. It is not enough to sway our opinion, but over time, the commissions help support our effort to continue to bring you the expert help you need to lead the greener life you want. (I knew you’d understand!)

The post 6 Best Non-Toxic Hand Sanitizers That Kill Coronavirus appeared first on Big Green Purse.

Drugstores initially were places where we went to get medicine. While we may still get our prescriptions filled there, today’s drugstores also sell food, cosmetics, toys, office supplies, and home goods—and a surprising number of these items are the opposite of medicine. Many contain chemical compounds that can actually make us pretty sick if we’re exposed to them over time.

Here’s a rundown of some of the most toxic drugstore items that you should probably avoid—or at least cut back on—as well as healthier alternatives.

1 ) Tampons and Feminine Care Products

A disturbing array of toxic chemicals have been found in conventional tampons, menstrual pads, wipes, douches, and other feminine hygiene products. These chemicals, which include pesticide residues, dioxin, unknown fragrance chemicals and adhesives, have been linked to cancer, endocrine disruption, allergic rash, and reproductive harm. They raise alarms because vaginal tissue is particularly porous, which means that chemicals put into the vagina are easily and effectively distributed throughout the body, says Women’s Voices for the Earth in its comprehensive report “Chem Fatale.”

Safer Alternative: Skip products marketed as “vaginal cleansers.” The vagina is designed to self-clean; douching and excess washing, in fact, can lead to infections, says WomensHealth.gov. Choose unscented tampons, as well as chlorine-free bleached or unbleached cotton tampons and pads. Reusable, washable menstrual pads are also available, as are washable menstrual cups to collect rather than absorb menstrual flow.

2) Mascara

Mercury—a potent neurotoxicant that can cause kidney damage and potentially disrupt fetal brain development if the woman using it is pregnant—is sometimes used in mascara as a preservative and germ killer.

Stacy Malkan, co-founder of the advocacy group Campaign for Safe Cosmetics, says there is no reason “a known neurotoxin should be allowed” because safer alternatives exist. Unfortunately, there’s no way you would know whether your mascara contains mercury or not, because companies are not required to list it on their product labels.

Safer Alternative: To be safe, search online for “mercury-free mascara” or shop at natural foods stores. Or, try this recipe for making your own mascara.

3) Air Fresheners

Phthalates help disperse the fragrances in air fresheners into the air, where you may inhale them or absorb them through your skin.

Once these chemicals enter the blood stream, they can alter hormone levels or cause symptoms like headache, runny nose and itchy eyes.

The State of California notes that five types of phthalates are “known to cause birth defects or reproductive harm,” reports the Natural Resources Defense Council. Exposure to phthalates in air fresheners has also been associated with increasing the risk of asthma.

Safer Alternative: First and foremost, root out what is making your home smell bad. Then open the windows and let fresh air circulate.

Keep bathroom floors and the base of the toilet clean, use fans to move moist air out of bathrooms so mildew doesn’t develop, and don’t leave old food on kitchen counters or in an uncovered trash can, where it will smell as it decomposes.

To add a pleasant fragrance to your home naturally, simmer cloves, orange peel, and apple cider or pieces of apple on your stove, and enjoy fragrant cut flowers like roses and lilies.

Don’t Miss: Indoor Air Pollution Solutions: 15 Affordable Actions to Help You Breathe Clean Air

4) Lipstick

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What’s the diff? The mechanical action of handwashing – rubbing your hands together with soap and water – is what’s important because that’s what breaks down the tiny bits of grease, fat and dirt on your hands that germs cling to. Soap doesn’t actually kill the bad germs. It’s the combination of soap, rubbing, rinsing and drying that helps these bugs slide off your hands.

“Disinfected” implies you’re going to try to kill germs outright to try to stay safe – a losing proposition since there are so many germs in so many places, you’ll never be able to win out.

Besides, “Germs are essential for human life. Bacteria in our mouths and intestines help us to digest the food we eat and bacteria on our skin protect us from invading viruses and bad bacteria,” explains Dr. Edith Blondel-Hill, and an infectious diseases specialist at British Columbia Children’s Hospital.

What about bacteria and viruses, like the one that is causing swine flu? It turns out that bacteria and viruses are examples of two different types of germs. Bacteria exist virtually everywhere in our environment and make up 60 per cent of the living matter on earth. Of the billions of types of bacteria, only about 50 are known to cause infection.

Viruses cause far more illnesses than bad bacteria because they spread more easily. If more than one person in your family has the same sickness, says the Health Agency, odds are it is a viral infection.

Especially in response to concerns like the swine flu epidemic, consumers have a tendency to rush to buy antibacterial soaps and cleaning products. Yet there is no medical research to prove that antibacterial soaps offer any benefit over regular soaps in preventing common illnesses. In fact, many doctors worry that the widespread use of antibacterials is causing antibiotic resistance. In other words, the more antibacterial products you use, the more susceptible to disease you may become.

Plus, antibacterials like triclosan are believed to be causing deformities in frogs and other wildlife, since they get washed down the drain and out into rivers, lakes and streams where they impact the animals living there.

In a March 2004 study published in the Annals of Internal Medicine, researchers studied 238 households in New York City. Half were given regular hand soap and cleaners and half were given antibacterial soaps and cleaning products. At the end of 48 weeks, there was essentially no difference between the two groups in reported infectious disease symptoms, including runny nose, cough, sore throat, vomiting and diarrhea.

Make no mistake: if you want to stay healthy, you must wash your hands. Just skip the “disinfecting” products. Here are the Health Agency of Canada’s recommendations for effective washing.

1) Remove all rings and wet your hands with warm running water.

2) Put a small amount of liquid soap in the palm of one hand. Bar soaps are not as hygienic as liquid soaps because they stay moist and attract germs. If a bar soap is the only option it should be stored on a rack so that the bar doesn’t sit in water.

3) Rub your hands together for 20 seconds so you produce lather. Make sure you scrub between your fingers, under your fingernails and the backs of your hands.

4) Rinse your hands well with clean running water for at least 10 seconds. Try not to handle the faucets once your hands are clean. Use a clean towel to turn off the water.

5) Dry your hands with a clean towel. During cold and flu season you may want to give each family member his or her own hand towel.

6) Use hand lotion to put moisture back into your skin if your hands are dry.

7) Model good handwashing technique to your children. Have them sing a song like “Twinkle Twinkle Little Star” while rubbing their hands together to teach them the amount of time it takes to clean their hands properly.

8) Wash your hands regularly.

9) Keep your hands away from your eyes, nose and mouth if you haven’t washed them recently.

10) At work, when shopping or in transit, use alcohol-based wipes rather than antibacterial wipes if you don’t have access to water. But use sparingly, since alcohol kills good and bad germs.

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