Hand sanitiser (alcohol cleaner)

[Bootstrap Bob]

I'm looking for some hand sanitiser but was wondering what everybody else uses and any good recommendations. Searching the forum doesn't come up with anything specific so what do you use?

I would be particularly interested in effectiveness, size of container and value for money (Yorkshireman :D )

[w00dsmoke]

The pound shop sell four small tough bottles of the alcohol hand sanitiser jelly for a £1. :o

You can't beat that for value! and it works a treat!

[Shewie]

I bought a 6 pack of little bottles off ebay a while ago for a couple of quid, they`re good for getting most of the muck off but stubborn stuff requires a bit more scrubbing. They smell okay and they evaporate to nothing so there`s no stickiness afterwards.

I`ll try and find the link

[hiho]

that's what i use, but i don't like the clear unscented one as to me it smells like pork fat

[Shewie]

that's what i use, but i don't like the clear unscented one as to me it smells like pork fat


Pork fat, that`s pure luxury round here.

I married a butchers daughter so I`m kind of immune to any meaty wiffs now.

[jungle_re]

i bought some small bottles of the stuff from tescos not so long back (less than a £1 a peice). Works really well, keep a bottle in my shooting coat and i get the misses to re fill the small bottles from a big one (she works i hospitals alot and they issue them with a big squirty everytime there on site)

[DoctorSpoon]

Personally, I wipe my hands on my trousers :D

[hiho]

Pork fat, that`s pure luxury round here.

I married a butchers daughter so I`m kind of immune to any meaty wiffs now.

too much being coated in chocolate:yuck: for that polish delicacy?

[Buckshot]

I used to use the own brand from a cheap chemists chain (can't remember the name :o )
becasue there was a large amount of alcohol in it so you could fire start with it too.
I now use Hibisol - it's liquid so more difficult to keep in one place for firelighting but it's good alcohol content means it does hold a spark (just a leaf or something as a bowl).

I took it to Borneo and both Moduser and Stuart can attest to it's cleaning ability. Moduser in particular had a couple of wounds that went yellow and gungy, once the skin was broken a palm full of this stuff was splashed on. Once we peeled him off the ceiling (lol) the wound heeled with no more need for any treatment.

Great stuff

Avaliable to order normally from the chemist

[SimonM]

I use "Cuticura".

Buy it from Superdrug or Boots.

Great for fire lighting too! It even takes a spark from a ferro rod.

Simon

[Doc]

Alcohol gels etc are good to disinfect clean hands. If there is dirt and grime on the skin ther is no substitute for soap and water.

I don't carry a disinfectant but always have meths in the trangia available.

Be aware alcohol is mostly ineffective against Clostridium difficile

I suspect it may also be of limited use against C tetani but i would hope everyone is fully immunised against tetanus.

Hibiscrub, IIRC is chlorhexidine plus detergent and would be a good option where you have clean water available too.

[Bootstrap Bob]

Thanks guys, I'll go and check some of these out.

Any other suggestions are welcome. :)

[Toddy]

Doc, if I may ?

Tetanus.
How often ought one get the jab? and since my last set raised up lumps like goose eggs do I need to get it repeated ?

cheers,
Toddy......might shift this to a new thread.

p.s. I use the 4 for £1 little bottles.......when I remember to carry them :rolleyes: the rest of the time I too use the 'wipe hands on trousers' method :blush:

[Barn Owl]

I've had so many tetanus shots i'm covered for life now apparently.

[Toddy]

I'm hoping me too....the last lot weren't funny but I wasn't allowed on the site unless I had them up to date.:(

cheers,
M

[SimonM]

Hi Toddy,

Not an expert, but I seem to recall that 3 tetanus shots was enough for life coverage.

Simon

[Toddy]

Hmmmm, thank you. It must be about eight years ago, I was supposed to get a set of three, No1 raised up like a fiery bantam's egg :confused: , No2 came up like a goose egg :eek: , No3 never happened. My doctor said it wasn't needed. Now I wonder if it's timed out sort of thing........I spend a fair amount of time working in fields and parks.

cheers,
Toddy

[gregorach]

I believe it's generally 10 years for a tetanus booster. Normally if you ask for one they'll tell you that they don't give them routinely, but if you explain that your work or hobby involves messing around with sharps in the great outdoors with limited access to medical care, they'll give you one.

As for alcohol hand gel, I've got some hospital-grade stuff I got from JohnC. Unscented, high alcohol content, works as a fuel. Can't say that I use it outdoors much though...

[Doc]

We would normally give a tetanus booster if it is 10 years since the last tetanus immunisation, unless the patient has had 5 shots in their lifetime. Five shots are assumed to give satisfactory long term protection.

The exception to this rule is travellers to areas without medical attention. For these patients we would give a 10 yearly booster even if they have had 5 tetanus shots already.

Most people who get tetanus in the UK are older folk who have not been immunised in childhood.

[sandsnakes]

Can we pool our knowlege on the best alcohol hand gel, alcohol content, burnability, etc, etc.

If one could be found that did the job, did not stink like a Turkish brothel keepers armpit and was a good emegency fire lighter or you could run a stove on it. Dual purpose is the perfect bushcraft solution.

http://www.stjohnsupplies.co.uk/products/default.asp?productId=F78048

I found this, very cheap for 500ml of gel. 70% alcohol. Anybody find anything better?

Sandsnakes

[Dana Hawkeye]

There is a handy sized alcohol hand rub in a 60cl bottle by Purell that is used by the District Nurses where I live. Not sure on price or stockists though.

As has been stated though, hand rub is NOT a substitute for washing hands with good old soap and water. It is best used after washing the hands.

[crazydave]

does seem a bit silly taking alcohol when soap does the trick nicely, a small travel bar is still one of the best items in a first aid kit. otherwise tesco do a small handy pump bottle.

[gregorach]

Yeah, but you can't burn soap in a trangia...

[crazydave]

but alcohol gels will wreck the trangia anyway so you may as well make a fire.

[sandsnakes]

The same place does a gel or liquid, so any one found a higher content alcohol content?

This makes an argument for distilling your own and calling it 'hand wash' :lmao: for drinking, firestarting, triangia use and hand washing... now thats bushcraft.

Sandsnakes

[rik_uk3]

Just use meths instead of alcohol gel, as said, soap and water first, gel or meths second. If you don't use a meths stove I'd rely on soap and water to be honest, does a great job, and if your hands have grime the gel is not that effective anyway

[w00dsmoke]

Sooo...if alcohol gel is not a substitute for soap and water and it is more or less marketed as such; how then do we wash our hands when out and about?

I try to use boiled water if possible but this is not always possible or practical, so are any of the above a good substitute for use without water?

I personally have used a small bar of hotel soap and used it from water out a clean burn, I also shave and wash my hair this way when out and about however, I use the alcohol gel to clean my hands before cooking or handling food.



WS

[rik_uk3]

Sooo...if alcohol gel is not a substitute for soap and water and it is more or less marketed as such; how then do we wash our hands when out and about?

I try to use boiled water if possible but this is not always possible or practical, so are any of the above a good substitute for use without water?

I personally have used a small bar of hotel soap and used it from water out a clean burn, I also shave and wash my hair this way when out and about however, I use the alcohol gel to clean my hands before cooking or handling food.



WS

The soap and water cleans off grime, gel can just seal it in if you get my drift. I seem to have survived 35 years of camping without gel by just using soap and water.

Strange thing, all this talk of washing/cleaning hands when in real life most men don't wash their hands after they have a pee

[swampy99]

Nicked some from hospitals as they have them by every door. the alcoholics do and mix it with coca cola it's the way to go.

[crazydave]

true most bugs we have got acclimatised to, gippy tummy is the odd ones we havent got used to and why we get the trots on holiday.

if the food is cooked properly then a few bacteria wont make much difference. most soldiers will tell you that going in the field youre lucky if you can find anything to wipe your hands on let alone wash with. at most some pack wet wipes or dew wash with a bar of soap generally relying on the mess tin bath every few days to sort themselves out. you rely on not chewing your nails and having a strong constitution. if kim and aggie ever did how clean is your mess tin then they would faint as we just didn't get enough water for housekeeping purposes :)

people are obsessed with bacteria when its not like we can avoid them and when we try to we increase problems like childhood asthma and allergies.

scout camps we have hand washes next to the elsans which are normally just soapy water followed by air dry. not perfect but hopefully enough to avoid problems.

an old guy I used to know used to tell me the 1 square of paper technique where you fold it into quarters and tear the middle bit out. you then wipe getting smaller with each pass then use the middle bit to clean your nails :yuck:

[crazydave]

one key thing is though - gels, creams, potions, cleaning agents are there to be sold to make money for the makers and not for our benefit. before alcohol gels what did we do? soap and water. kim and aggie use vinegar and ordinary bleach or washing liquid which is cheaper than dettol, flash, mr muscle etc...

not all bacteria is harmfull and 99.9% of them we tollerate and deal with naturally. good job too as everything we deal with is covered with them.

[rik_uk3]

Nicked some from hospitals as they have them by every door. the alcoholics do and mix it with coca cola it's the way to go.

We switched to alcohol foam a year ago. Most don't drink it, they put the stuff in a crisp packet and sniff it, had to remove it from acute mental health wards and issue staff with individual bottles.

[DrSin]

Hi All,
You can get IPA (Isopropyl Alcohol) at 99.5%+ from Ebay. Very cheap! Cleans and sterilizes almost anything! Great on open cuts, just have a stick ready to bite. Oh and what ever you do don't drink!!!!