This year highlighted the importance of keeping good hand hygiene. Plenty of us have started to carry hand sanitiser wherever we go, making hand sanitiser quickly become a staple in our purses, backpacks or pockets. However, choosing the right hand sanitiser has also quickly become more and more of a difficult task.

Liquid hand sanitiser, gel hand sanitiser, moisturising hand sanitiser, fragrance-free hand sanitiser, scented hand sanitiser… the list goes on. With so much choice available, it can be overwhelming to know which one is the best hand sanitiser or at least, the sanitiser that’s more suitable for you. To help choose the right hand sanitiser, I’ve partnered up with Ocean Free, leading suppliers of hand sanitiser in the UK.

To make the choice easier, let’s split this into four main categories: alcohol concentration, consistency, size and scent. These are the main things to consider when purchasing hand sanitiser.

Alcohol concentration.

Alcohol concentration is the most important thing to consider when choosing the right hand sanitiser. As Janine Huldie mentions in a blog post about hand hygiene, “alcohol-based hand sanitisers which have an alcohol concentration between 60%-95% kill germs most effectively, provided hand sanitisers were used correctly.

Consistency.

Adventures of a Yorkshire Mum mentions that “choosing the right hand sanitiser consistency has to do with your personal requirements.” And she’s absolutely right! Whether it is a liquid hand sanitiser or a gel hand sanitiser, the effectiveness of the product does not change. However, depending on your requirements, one might be better than the other. For instance, liquid hand sanitiser is best suited for spray bottles and spray dispensers while hand sanitiser gel is ideal for on-the-go usage.

Size.

Hand sanitiser size also has to do with your personal requirements. Hand sanitiser can be used wherever you are – at home, on public transport, anywhere and everywhere. Health and Safety Executive shared an article explaining how hand sanitisers and surface disinfectants are regulated and mentioned that hand sanitiser can be used for a variety of settings, such as “for your own and your family’s protection at home or elsewhere.” This includes workplaces, public spaces and other areas.

However, different sizes of hand sanitiser will be better suited for certain situations. For workplace settings, a large hand sanitiser container would be the best choice to encourage the use of hand sanitiser by employees and visitors. For commuting and travelling, a small hand sanitiser bottle will be the right choice as it is lightweight, convenient and highly portable.

Scent.

Scent or no scent? That is the question. Fragrance-free hand sanitiser is ideal for sensitive skin while scented hand sanitiser can be used by non-sensitive skin. Both will leave hands refreshed and clean, however, scented hand sanitisers will also leave hands with a pleasing fragrance.

Rachel Bustin has recently published a blog post about Ocean Free’s collection of scented hand sanitisers – from lemon zest hand sanitiser to aloe vera hand sanitiser and sea breeze hand sanitiser. She recommends these scented hand sanitisers to “keep your hands both clean and smelling great.”