Table of Contents
The COVID-19 pandemic is now nearly two years old but clearly isn’t ready to call it quits. A health scare of this size and scale naturally prompted many of us to reconsider how we relate to germs and the surfaces we touch on a daily basis. As the virus lurked, theoretically everywhere, an obsession with sanitizing everything hit a fever pitch and challenged the supply chains of many top hand sanitizer brands. Many of the sanitizers below were intermittently sold out throughout the last year, but we’re happy to announce that the hand sanitizer supply has bounced back, and you can now order hand sanitizer to your heart’s content.
Advice from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention still urges frequent hand washing with antibacterial soap and hand sanitizing in order to keep you and everyone around you healthy — studies show that hand sanitizers are “effective in inactivating SARS-CoV-2” in the lab — and we fully support good hand hygiene being a practice we hold onto well past this pandemic. Whether it’s through disinfecting wipes, hand soap, UV wands or other means of cleaning, sanitizing is sanitizing and it can’t hurt to keep up healthy practices.
That being said, we’ve focused this list on only the best hand sanitizers with a variety of formulas, container sizes, and fragrances. So go with your gut, keep your hand sanitizers handy, and let’s hope that 2022 is when we can finally turn the corner on the pandemic once and for all.
Some Do’s And Don’ts For Hand Washing
- According to the Mayo Clinic, you should always wash your hands before eating or preparing food, treating a wound or removing or putting in contact lenses.
- You should also avoid touching your face, nose, eyes or inside of your ears as much as possible during the day.
- Always wash your hands after using the bathroom, blowing your nose, touching germ-heavy surfaces like keyboards and door handles and handling garbage.
- When washing your hands, wet your hands and lather up using antibacterial soap. Rub your hands vigorously together for at least 20 seconds, scrubbing your wrists and underneath your fingernails.
- Dry your hands with a clean towel or air dry them.
Mrs. Meyers Clean Day Hand Soap
To start with a great option for daily hand washing, go for a hand soap instead of an alcohol-based sanitizer. Mrs. Meyers Clean Day Hand Soap is made with thoughtful ingredients, including essential oils, aloe vera and olive oil. The soaps contain no parabens phthalates or artificial colors and work hard to eliminate germs without leaving hands dried out.
Related Stories
The Best Antibacterial Hand Sanitizers
When washing your hands with soap and water isn’t possible, hand sanitizers are an acceptable alternative. Thankfully, many of the top brands have rebounded and are back in stock, and we’ve included a variety of options from the top retailers below.
1. Purell Advanced Hand Sanitizer 8 Fl. Ounce (Pack of 4)
PEOPLE’S CHAMP
These Purell bottles are perfect for desktops, kitchens and even car center consoles. They’re not too big but they still hold plenty of liquid, so you won’t have to change empty bottles out all the time. Purell’s is a mild formula that kills 99.99% of germs without damaging skin. It has aloe and vitamin E in its formula so your hands are soft and moisturized, even after frequent use.
2. Germ-x Hand Sanitizer 8 Fl Ounce (Pack of 12)
OLD RELIABLE
This hand sanitizer from Germ-x effectively kills 99.99% of germs without the use of any water. It kills germs and protects you and your family in as little as 15 seconds and is formulated to moisturize in the process. It also contains vitamin E, a powerful antioxidant that can aid in repairing and protecting skin from UV damage. This pack of 12 is an affordable option for stocking up responsibly and protecting you and your loved ones.
3. SPARITUAL Hand Sanitizer Spray
BEST SPRAY HAND SANITIZER
This set of hand sanitizers come formulated with 75% isopropyl alcohol, glycerin, hydrogen peroxide, and purified water to ensure cleanliness without added fragrances or oils. This is a pack of four 2-ounce bottles that have a spray top, and are easy to pack in your purse, backpack, or briefcase for quick sanitizing power throughout the day. The brand is also pretty affordable, at four bottles for just over $10.
4. Noshinku Pocket Hand Sanitizer
BEST POCKET-SIZED
5. Solimo Hand Sanitizer
BEST LARGE
This Amazon-branded sanitizer kills over 99.99% of germs in as little as 15 seconds. Great for offices, large families, and other high traffic areas, the 67.6-fluid ounce bottle comes with an easy use pump for simple, mess-free use.
6. Wet Ones Antibacterial Travel Pack
BEST WIPES
Wet Ones Antibacterial hand wipes are a great option for sanitizing surfaces like your computer keyboard, phone, steering wheel, and front doorknob. Protect yourself and others easily with these wipes designed to kill 99.99% of bacteria.
7. Olika Hydrating Hand Sanitizer Clip-On Starter 3-Pack
TRAVEL FRIENDLY (AND AWESOME)
These Olika Hydrating Hand Sanitizer Clip-Ons should be the go-to for people who regularly sanitize their hands.
Rather than just a plastic bottle — laaaaaaaaaaaame — you get a cute little bird mister with a carabiner that can spray Olika’s 99.9% effective sanitizer over 300 times. Plus, it’s refillable, reusable and recyclable, so you can feel good buying knowing this is a sustainable purchase that you’ll use again and again until it’s time to recycle. With this order, you’ll get two clip-ons and a refillable pouch in lavender scent.
8. Purell Travel Size Variety Pack
ALSO CONSIDER TRAVEL
One of the most convenient things hand sanitizer can be? Portable. Chances are the times when you don’t have access to water and hand soap are when you’re out and about, so your hand sanitizer traveling well is a major plus. This Purell variety pack contains 1 fl oz. travel bottles of the hand sanitizer attached to jelly wraps you can easily attach to keys, backpacks, or gym bags. Make it easy on yourself and stay sanitized anywhere with these.
9. Maapilim Hand Sanitizer
QUALITY PICK
This Maapilim Hand Sanitizer smells amazing and cleans just as well. The scents are a blend of bergamot, jasmine and cedarwood, and the formula kills 99.9% of germs and bacteria with all-natural ingredients. The hand sanitizer is nourishing and fast-absorbing, so you won’t be left with a weird residue on your hands. It’s got a base of 70% alcohol and aloe vera so it moisturizes as it cleans.
10. Dove Nourishing Deep Moisture Hand Sanitizer
MOST MOISTURIZING
Nothing’s worse than dry hands from frequent sanitizing. The Dove Nourishing Deep Moisture Hand Sanitizer leaves this problem in the past, promising not just to sanitize your skin against 99.99% of germs but to leave your hands moisturized and hydrated for up to eight hours.
11. Dial Antibacterial Foam Hand Sanitizer, 4-Pack
BEST FOAM
If you enjoy foaming soaps and formulas, you’re going to really enjoy this antibacterial foam hand sanitizer from Dial. It contains 65% ethyl alcohol and kills 99.999% of bacteria in as little as 15 seconds. This dermatologist-tested formula is fragrance and dye-free hypoallergenic while also remaining moisturizing, and hydrating to the skin.
12. Bath and Body Works Crisp Morning Air Hand Sanitizer
GREAT FRAGRANCE
For lifestyle and grooming goods with a pleasant fragrant twist, Bath and Body Works is the place to go. The Bath and Body Works Eucalyptus Mint Hand Sanitizer smells great and won’t get irrelevant after a season like fall-themed hand sanitizers. At the same time, the crisp fragrance isn’t overwhelming, the sanitizer isn’t sticky and it will eliminate 99.9% of germs and bacteria. Do you even need anything else in a hand sanitizer?
13. Bath and Body Works PocketBac Hand Sanitizers 5-Pack
GREAT SAMPLER PACK
For one more from Bath and Body Works, we love the PocketBac Hand Sanitizers 5-Pack. You get five one-ounce bottles with four fragrances. They all smell great and each bottle is small enough to fit anywhere you might want to have hand sanitizers.
14. Dr. Brite Unscented Hand Sanitizer
CERTIFIED B CORP
To become a Certified B Corporation, companies must meet high, verifiable standards of environmental and social performance, public transparency and legal accountability. When you buy the Dr. Brite Unscented Hand Sanitizer, you’ll be supporting a Certified B Corp and can trust your hand sanitizer was produced fairly, equitably and sustainably, e.g. with recyclable packaging. But you’ll be doing right for yourself too because this hand sanitizer is non-toxic, non-sticky and packed with essential oils. Plus, if you’re a regular user of hand sanitizer, you can subscribe to save money and get hand sanitizer delivered every 30, 45, 60 or days, as you prefer.
15. Custom Ink Soapbox 12oz. Hand Sanitizer — Case of 15 Bottles
BEST BULK SANITIZER
If you’ve ever worn a custom-made T-shirt, you may have heard of Custom Ink. They’re dedicated to the personalized garment arts, and now they’re making hand sanitizer. Their Soapbox Hand Sanitizer is cruelty-free and completely vegan while being a sanitizing 70% alcohol-based formula. They also donate a bar of soap to someone in need with every product purchased, keeping the whole world safe and protected one bar at a time.