I think we can all agree that our use of hand sanitizer has increased dramatically over the course of this year. And if there’s one positive thing to come out of the coronavirus pandemic it’s that it has made us up our hygiene game – we’ve never been so clean!
Now you’d think that one hand sanitizer is as good as any other right – that all hand sanitizers are equal? But that just simply isn’t the case. And I’m not talking about alcohol content, although you should always make sure you use one with at least 60% alcohol, but more about some of the everyday practicalities like, how well it rubs in, how nice it smells, and how sticky it is. Because having tried out various hand sanitizers in shops, schools, pubs, restaurants, as well as the ones we use at home there are huge differences, and some are definitely nicer to use than others. We’ve experienced the super sticky one, where your hands are left feeling like you’ve glued them together; there’s the slimy one, with it’s gloopy texture that you always end up using too much of; the one that never dries no matter how long you rub your hands together; and the smells like neat tequila one.
Whilst hand sanitizer does not replace the effectiveness of good old fashioned soap and water (although this also relies on people washing their hands correctly and for long enough – Happy Birthday two times, remember folks!) it is the next best option if you don’t have access to running water when you’re out and about for instance. So to find a good hand sanitizer that feels nice, smells nice and cleans your hands is really important, because you are way more likely to use it if it’s a pleasant experience.
We were recently sent a selection of hand sanitizer products from the American eco company Ecofreaks to try out for ourselves. To check out the full product line, visit www.ecofreaksusa.com but in the meantime we’re going to show you three of them right now.
Ecofreaks 16oz Hand Sanitizer Pump Bottle
You can’t go wrong with a trusty pump bottle of hand sanitizer can you? It’s the product type we perhaps know the best, due to its simple, versatile nature. Whether it sits on your desk at work, on the hallway table by the front door, or in the cup holder of your car, we’ve all got used to using a pump action hand sanitizer. The Ecofreaks hand sanitizer bottle uses the same formula they use across all of their products and is available in either a scent free version or outrageous orange. Priced at a very reasonable $7.75, there is also the option to keep the bottle once you’re done and then simply order a refill pouch to fill it up again. This not only saves you money, but helps with sustainability too and we are all for that.
Ecofreaks hand sanitizer doesn’t contain dyes, parabens or methanol so it’s a good option if you have sensitive skin and are looking for a more natural alternative. We were sent the scent free version and whilst it smelled really strong on first application, once it’s rubbed in the smell completely disappears. The formula rubs in really easily, it’s non sticky and we were really surprised to find that our hands actually had a softness to them afterwards, which is unusual as most hand sanitizers can be incredibly drying.
Ecofreaks 2ml Hand Sanitizer Sachets
Bottles of hand sanitizer are all well and good, but they’re hardly the most practical solution when you’re out and about are they? They’re too big to be lugging around in a handbag and then there’s the risk of leakages… it just doesn’t work. And of course there are certain times when you might not even have a bag on you, for example if you’re out running, cycling, walking the dog or even if you’re just nipping out to the shops. Which is why we absolutely love these handy pre-measured hand sanitizer sachets. Simply grab a sachet from the dispenser, bung it in your pocket and then you can go out safe in the knowledge that should you need to clean your hands after having pressed a traffic light button, pushed open a gate or a door, filled up with petrol, cleaned up dog poo etc. you’re sorted in the hand sanitizer department.
Ecofreaks sell these sachets in boxes of 125 for $24.99 and despite feeling slightly uneasy about the extra use of plastic in the packaging, we think that these offer a great solution for those moments when you do just need something that’s convenient.
Ecofreaks 1.69 fl oz Zoe Keychain Hand Sanitizer
Kids are grubby little critters aren’t they, and getting them to wash their hands is hard at the best of times, so when a product comes along that encourages cleanliness in a fun way then we like, a LOT!
This handy keychain hand sanitizer features one of Ecofreaks’ company characters Zoe, who apparently ‘loves cleaning supplies, washing my hands, fighting germs, and picking up trash’. At just $3.00, this is great for attaching to a rucksack or book bag for kids to then unclip at school and keep on their desks for use throughout the day. My daughter has already been eyeballing it and I know she can’t wait to take this into school so that she has her own personal stash of special hand sanitizer that she can show off to her friends.
We were really impressed with the range of products available from Ecofreaks and love the branding and message behind it, but in particular we love how easy it is to rub in. It seems like such a small thing I know, but we are so fed up of squirting hand gel onto our hands only for it to feel like we might as well have rubbed them with PVA glue, it is soooooo annoying. As we said before, soap and water is always the best option when it comes to keeping your hands super duper clean, but for the times this simply isn’t possible, we’ll definitely be reaching for our Ecofreaks hand sanitizer instead.
*products gifted for review