Anti-bacterial Handwash

fordmanchester

Hi

Can anyone suggest an alternative to the anti-bacterial handwashes you buy in supermarkets which are laden with chemicals?

I've found several more natural handwashes on different websites but there doesn't seem to be any mention of them being specifically anti-bacterial.

I'm looking for something which would be really effective for germ-killing on hands e.g. after handling raw meat when cooking, or after cleaning cat litter trays etc.

Any suggestions?

Many thanks.

HappyMJ

They are going to be laced with chemicals. Which chemicals concern you? You do wash the chemical off after lathering up your hands and washing your hands for a minute or so. You could also use an alcohol based gel. You could just use hot water and soap. They all do the same. As long as you lather up and thoroughly wash under your nails and between your fingers then soap and water will do the same thing as the chemicals in antibacterial handwash just in a different way.

Is it Triclosan in the handwash? It's a harsh chemical and kills almost anything so you could avoid anything with Triclosan in it.

fordmanchester

Hi HappyMJ

Thanks for your reply.

It wasn't one particular ingredient which concerned me... I just generally wanted to reduce the amount of chemicals that are in contact with my skin.

Soap and water never seems quite enough after certain tasks. But I've taken on board everything you say. Thank you.

HappyMJ

fordmanchester wrote: »

Hi HappyMJ

Thanks for your reply.

It wasn't one particular ingredient which concerned me... I just generally wanted to reduce the amount of chemicals that are in contact with my skin.

Soap and water never seems quite enough after certain tasks. But I've taken on board everything you say. Thank you.

All handwashes will contain 100% chemicals. It's very hard to produce a handwash which contains no chemicals as the dispenser would be empty. Aqua the main ingredient in every handwash is a chemical it's a powerful solvent. It dissolves and removes the dirt from your hands. So you really need to pick the chemicals that you don't like and avoid them. If you look at the ingredients and research each one you could be more informed if they are harsh or gentle. It takes ages... Have you tried Simple handwash its supposed to be gentle on the skin. What have you seen?

Oliver14

Don't get obsessed with the anibacterial bit on some hand washes it's a bit of a marketing ploy and total overkill for everyday use. Good handwashing technique with any soap will clean your hands well enough after handling meat and litter trays. the actual technique you use to wash your hands is the most important bit. It's worth googling the correct way as you will be quite amazed how much people miss normally.

If you wish to avoid manmade chemicals go for handwashes based on natural ingredients. I like the bentley range.

http://www.goodnessdirect.co.uk/cgi-local/frameset/detail/905571_Bentley_Organic_Handwash_Lavender__Aloe_Vera___Jojoba_250ml.html

http://www.theecologist.org/green_green_living/behind_the_label/269590/behind_the_label_antibacterial_handwash.html

The_Ecologist wrote:

Behind the label: Antibacterial handwash
Pat Thomas

29th January, 2009


Hand washing is the single most effective way to prevent the spread of infections. Nevertheless, in the hygiene stakes, antibacterial soaps are a ridiculous form of ‘overkill’.

Some soaps, which contain powerful antibacterial chemicals like Triclosan, benzalkonium chloride or chlorohexidine, work in the same way as antibiotics and can contribute to the problem of bacterial resistance at home and in the wider community.

In addition, the chemical Triclosan is an ecological disaster that is toxic to aquatic life and breaks down into a carcinogenic dioxin compound in our rivers and streams.

As if that weren’t enough, strong antibacterials simply don’t work. Or rather, they work in a different way. Washing with soap and water does not actually kill ‘germs’ – instead it creates a slippery surface that allows them to ‘slide off’. Antibacterial hand washes and soaps do kill bacteria and viruses and these are then washed away in rinse water.

But while antibacterial products may initially remove more organisms than soap and water, within 90 minutes or so there is generally no difference in the number of bacteria and viruses that have repopulated your hands. Given that we each touch around 300 surfaces every half hour, this is hardly surprising.

In 2000, the American Medical Association (AMA) went public with the opinion that antibacterial soaps were no more effective against germs than common soap and recommended that people stopped using them.

When all these facts first began to surface, some manufacturers continued to defend their antibacterial products as effective and necessary. To its credit, PZ Cussons, manufacturers of Carex, has reformulated Britain’s best selling antibacterial handwash to remove Triclosan. But issues remain.

Special cleansers for hands are completely unnecessary products, so to boost sales Carex, which accounts for around a quarter of all antibacterial hand washes sold in the UK, is available in a range of enticing scents and pastel colours, encouraging use in both kitchens and bathrooms.

There is also the problematical message that special cleansers like this send out. Antibacterial handwashes like this are the bodycare equivalent of fast food. We use them to get something done quickly, rather than doing it properly ourselves. In the world of hand-washing, ‘properly’ means covering the hands thoroughly with soap and rubbing them vigorously together for 15 seconds before rinsing thoroughly. Slopping on some antibacterial cleanser for a five second wash, ironically, makes us less attentive to good hygiene, rather than more.

While Carex no longer contains Triclosan, and the detergents in it are relatively mild, it does contain a number of other worrying ingredients. First of all it is highly perfumed. In addition to the ubiquitous ‘parfum’, which in itself can be made up of dozens of chemicals, it also contains the fragrance ingredients citronellol, linalool and limonene – which must be listed separately on labels because they produce such a high rate of allergic reactions – as well as known neurotoxic fragrance chemicals butylphenyl methylpropional and alpha isomethyl ionone.

Then there are the antibacterial ingredients such as methyldibromo glutaronitrile, a formaldehyde-releasing chemical which can cause skin rashes; the solvents such as hexylene glycol – which is equally at home in paints and varnishes – and the preservatives such as tetrasodium EDTA, an environmentally disastrous chemical that binds with heavy metals in lakes and streams, and helps usher these back into the human food chain.

Because Carex is meant to be on display in your home, it also contains atrio of uninvestigated chemicals – sodium benzotriazolyl butylphenol sulfate, buteth-3 and tributyl citrate – which preserve the colour of products in clear packaging, but are of no particular benefit for your skin.

Do yourself a favour: invest in a good bar of soap, and return hand washing to the simple, dependable, non-invasive basic it is meant to be.

pogofish

How about just using good old fashioned soap and water?

Or even the army's old standby of just peeing on your hands. Much greener!

paddyrg

Use hot water, soap, and learn how to wash your hands! No, really! It turns out that most of us are terrible at washing our hands even though we think we're great!

Here's the WHO instructions - and if you feel you need to follow up with a cheap alcohol rub, that's great :-)

http://www.who.int/gpsc/clean_hands_protection/en/index.html

savageHK

Faith In Nature's range does include some which are anti-bacterial (due to the plant extracts included)
http://www.faithinnature.co.uk/product_comparison.php?category=4
You could also add Tea Tree Oil to a base soap?

Ben84

Antibacterial products seem to give me a rash, so I use none at all around the house. So far I haven't been overrun by bacteria. I think the whole idea is an advertising meme. Having worked with microbiology, the advertising claims are often dubious to say the least. Perfectly dry food-free kitchen floors and tiles covered in thriving bacteria colonies? I doubt that has ever been observed outside the strange world of advertising.

fordmanchester

Many thanks for all your advice and replies. Much appreciated!

lollipopsarah

I agree the best way is to wash with soap and water, however, it's not always available.
At the checkout I sometimes get dirty/cough and use shops own brand gel stuff, not sure if it works but at least my hands feel better, and customers seem to appreciate it.
xx