by Emily Peck.
With the outbreak of Covid-19, people are scrambling to find hand sanitising products for their facilities. Most sanitisers are selling out at lightning speeds, leading to an influx of thousands of new brands of sanitisers, some with questionable, inferior or downright dangerous ingredients. Getting the right sanitiser for your hand sanitising task can be daunting. But you can choose the best one by carefully considering a few factors. Here’s what to look for in a favourable hand sanitiser.
MicroCare provides FDA regulated products
It is easy for sanitiser manufacturers and suppliers to make bogus claims or give wrong information about their sanitising sprays, gels and wipes, especially in the age of Covid-19 when the need to sanitise is more significant than ever before. To reduce the number of germs on hands, the FDA and CDC recommend washing hands with soap and water. However, if that is not available, a hand sanitiser with at least 60% alcohol is the best alternative and can help you avoid getting sick and spreading germs to others.1
The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) regulates hand sanitisers as over-the-counter (OTC) drugs because they are used on the body. The FDA regulates not only OTC drug products, but also the OTC drug manufacturing facilities developing those products. MicroCare manufacturing facilities are FDA registered for the manufacture of alcohol-based sanitisers, and all Stereze™ Hand Sanitizer products are registered with the FDA under the OTC drug monograph. Each of the Stereze brand hand sanitiser products are registered and have a unique National Drug Code (NDC) number, which is required by the FDA. It assures our customers that Stereze Hand Sanitizers fully comply with all FDA regulations.
MicroCare manufactures safe and high-quality hand sanitisers
With the influx of manufacturers producing and selling hand sanitising products, it’s no surprise that there have been some adulterated products, which result in product recalls and public safety concerns. The FDA has warned consumers and healthcare providers that they found hand sanitiser products labelled to contain ethanol or ethyl alcohol while carrying methanol contamination. Methanol, or wood alcohol, is a substance that can be toxic when absorbed through the skin or ingested and can be life-threatening.2
MicroCare manufacturing facilities operate in conformance with ISO 9001: 2015 certified quality systems, and we take pride in our high-quality products. As well as sourcing only high-purity alcohol and other raw materials, all Stereze Hand Sanitizer products go through stringent quality testing to ensure there are no toxic or otherwise unwanted contaminants present. It also verifies that the necessary amount of alcohol is present before delivering the hand sanitisers to our customers, whose health and safety is our number one priority.
According to the CDC, studies have consistently found that sanitisers with a 60%-95% alcohol content are more effective at killing germs than those with a lower alcohol concentration or non-alcohol-based hand sanitisers. Hand sanitisers without 60-95% alcohol may not work well for many types of germs, and they may only reduce the growth of germs rather than kill them outright.3 MicroCare quality practices ensure that Stereze brand hand sanitisers contain at least 75% alcohol to ensure sanitising effectiveness.
Unscented for safety
Opinions about scents vary widely. Some people prefer sanitising products with pine, floral or citrus scents. Others, however, may find these fragrances cloying and offensive. Some added scents can also exacerbate breathing issues, including allergies and asthma. Stereze hand sanitising products do not have any scented additives or produce a harsh chemical smell. They have a light alcohol scent that dissipates quickly as the sanitising fluid evaporates. They are also free from parabens, dyes, sulfates and phthalates. Like most sanitisers, they tend to remove natural moisturisers from your hands, which may result in dry, itchy, chalky and cracked hands. Applying moisturising hand cream after using the hand sanitisers helps relieve that.
High-quality sanitising wipes deserve high-quality packaging
Stereze Hand Sanitizing Presaturated Wipes
The quality of the sanitising wipe material you choose is critical. Good quality wipes and containers can contribute to the ease of sanitising. Flimsy, dried-out, compostable and biodegradable wipes easily tear and fall apart, requiring more wipes for each sanitising job, which leads to long-term waste. Wipes that shred and disintegrate during use also leave lint behind, adding extra time and effort to what should be a simple process.
Instead, opt for Stereze Hand Sanitizing Presaturated Wipes. They are high-quality premium fabric wipes that are thick, soft, ultra-strong and tear-resistant. Stereze wipes sanitise effectively while standing up to rigorous scrubbing. They improve your overall sanitising experience and reduce the amount of waste you produce in the long run.
A Good Quality Container Makes a Difference
Pre-saturated hand sanitising wipes work when they are wet.
Stereze Hand Sanitizing Presaturated Wipes come in tight sealing containers to keep the wipes wet and ready for use. The 100-count tubs feature a unique spring-loaded ‘slam-shut’ lid that automatically snaps closed after each wipe dispenses, prolonging product shelf life after the factory seal is broken.
Save Time and Money with a Higher Wipe Count
Wipe count affects your total costs, your convenience, and your environmental impact. Many hand-sanitising wipes come with just 35-80 wipes per container. Although they are lower cost per container, lesser count containers can mean reordering wipes more often or worse, running out of wipes completely. Stereze Hand Sanitizing Presaturated Wipes come in 100-count tubs or 800-count buckets.
Larger count containers reduce the number of plastic containers going to the landfill. Stereze Hand Sanitizing Presaturated Wipes also come in foil refill packs to allow you to replenish the wipes to use and reuse the original containers. The containers are also 100% recyclable, improving your environmental footprint.
Choose your hand sanitising style
With all the FDA-registered hand sanitiser products offered by MicroCare, you can choose a Stereze Hand Sanitizer to meet your sanitising needs. Stereze Hand Sanitizers come in a variety of formats to make sanitising easier and encourage their use.
- Pre-saturated Wipes are ideal for convenient higher-volume hand sanitising.
- Pre-saturated Individual Foil Packet Wipes are smaller, individually wrapped wipes for on-the-go hand sanitising. Stash some in your pocket, bag or car and never be far away from a hand sanitiser.
- Sanitiser Sprays come in smaller bottles making them good for spraying onto hands.
- Hand Pump Gel Bottles are good for tabletop dispensing. The gel consistency helps control the amount of sanitiser dispensed into your hand. A small pump goes a long way.
Build confidence in your sanitising process with Stereze Hand Sanitizers
No matter which way you sanitise, it’s always best to go with a hand sanitiser product that you can have confidence in, and a brand you know and trust. When using any hand sanitiser product, be sure to read and follow the instructions on the product’s Drug Facts Label.
Stereze Hand Sanitizers are produced in the US by MicroCare in our facility in New Britain, Connecticut. MicroCare has a 35-year plus history of providing high-quality, high-purity cleaning fluids to essential businesses within the medical device manufacturing, electronics, aerospace, defence and fibre-optic industries. The MicroCare quality system is ISO 9001: 2015 certified, and all products come with a 100% customer satisfaction guarantee.
1 – https://www.cdc.gov/handwashing/show-me-the-science-hand-sanitizer.html; Accessed 1-12-2021.
2 – https://www.fda.gov/drugs/coronavirus-covid-19-drugs/hand-sanitizers-covid-19; Accessed 1-12-2021.
3 – https://www.cdc.gov/handwashing/show-me-the-science-hand-sanitizer.html; Accessed 1-12-2021.
Author information:
Emily Peck is a Senior Chemist at MicroCare, LLC, which offers workspace, benchtop and vapour degreasing cleaning solutions. She has been in the industry for more than 6 years and holds an MS in Chemistry from Tufts University. Peck researches, develops and tests cleaning-related products that are used on a daily basis in medical, electronics and precision cleaning applications. For more information, visit www.microcare.com or contact us at techsupport@microcare.com or 800-638-0125.
