Question from MM
Hi Debra,
I went to the eye doctor Monday and by yesterday had the stomach flu. I think I’m ok but after reading the CDC website feel I need to sanitize everything, starting with my eyeglasses and then everything I’ve touched since Monday, since I touched the glasses often.
I guess Dr. Hulda Clark would suggest vodka and I have some. I have some alcohol though I’d rather not use it.
I don’t want to reinfect myself or endanger someone else, although I imagine people who are out in the world encounter it often and don’t get sick. My doctor said three schools in his area were closed due to it.
What would you do?
Debra’s Answer
I’ve answered similar questions before, but I’ll give an update for 2016.
Here are the other posts on this subject. Please read them all as they have relevant points.
Q&A: Earth Friendly Hand Sanitizer
how to make your own, important of hand washing
Q&A: Hand Sanitizer
recommends Clean Well Hand Sanitizer
Q&A Handwashing vs Hand Sanitizers
instructions for proper hand washing
Just keep in mind, before they go into surgery, doctors SCRUB , they don’t use a hand sanitizer. And instruments are AUTOCLAVED.
My suggestion is that you scrub your hands and boil anything that you’ve touched that can be boiled.
You mentioned vodka. I would use that if you need to, rather than isopropyl alcohol, which is a petroleum product.
Hydrogen peroxide can also be used as a disinfectant.
If you want a hand sanitizer product…a few weeks ago I was asked by a doctor for hand wipes he could use between patients in the office. I recommended Clean Well but we couldn’t find it locally.
But my natural food store carried another brand—EO —which was easy to find at my local natural food store. These are scented with lavender essential oils.
Note these are hand sanitizer wipes and not baby bottom wipes. I don’t know if baby bottom wipes contain the same sanitizing ingredients. Some brands offer baby bottom wipes and separate hand and face wipes.
That’s all I have on this subject for the moment, but readers please comment and let me know what you are using for sanitizer.
Essential oils are not an option for me. My go-to hand sanitizer is odor-free and fragrance-free by Babyganics. (Debra can speak to whether this crosses into toxic or not, but I’m super sensitive and can tolerate this product.) I use their fragrance-free wipes when my hands are dirty and not germy. http://babyganics.com/products/foaming-hand-sanitizer/
Thanks Alonna. This does contain synthetic (petroleum) ingredients as the germ-killers, but this is the trade-off. Either the product is unscented and synthetic or natural and essential oils. I looked at the ingredients and they are low toxicity.
Thanks, Debra. Yes, it is a trade off. Since I’m using a hand sanitizer to avoid illness, I think Babyganics fragrance-free hand sanitizer is a good option for me. I appreciate that you confirmed for me its low toxicity level. I’m fine with some synthetic-derived products. Essential oils are not an option.
And it’s individual. Some people can tolerate the essential oils better than they can tolerate the synthetics. Others like you do better with the low-toxic synthetics than with essential oils.