To be stressed about lack of antibacterial hand gel in the shops?

[boredorboard]

School told us to provide DC with antibacterial hand gel for school. Went to every shop/chemist in town that normally sells this and all sold out. No info on restocks but unlikely as wholesalers have also sold out. Also looked online and have only been able to find some at a very high price on Amazon. So that's that then. We are going to have to rely on good old fashioned hand washing.

Wondering if there are any other products available with the magic 60% alcohol content we could use as an alternative? Any suggestions?

My gin not high enough in alcohol I suspect. DS has some rum that is very high in alcohol. He would not be amused if I pinched it.

Will I be sending the kids to school with gel or putting one in my handbag when we have ample supplies of soap and hot water in school, home and at the office?

It's apparently not always possible to get to sink before eating in my children's schools - they get 30 minutes total in secondary and it can depend where they are coming from what access they get - and with one at primary access is very hit and miss.

We also on public transport a lot and for fair bit of time so not always near soap and sinks.

Otherwise I agree it's not necessary at home or actually in the office.

5 shops tried for anti bac hand gel
Tesco - none
Asda - none
Home Bargains - none
Poundstretcher - none
B&M - bought last two

In every shot there were several women like me on the hunt. In B&M the woman on the til shouted to a woman at the back of the shop where an assistant was helping a fellow hunter "we do have it" I half expected to be in demand!

Home Bargains said it went as soon as it hit the shelves.

Thankfully I’m an antibacterial gel fiend and have about 10 bottles anyway.

Lots of it in the shops today. None of it any good against a virus as it isn’t high enough alcohol content.
Went to the supermarket, when I had finished and I took the trolley back I went to their toilets and washed my hands before getting back in the car. Got in to the habit when I was pregnant over a winter with a lot of flu around.

Aldi had it today, by tills

@adaline it is stupid to keep categorically stating that “antibacterial hand gel doesn’t kill viruses” over and over again. It’s just not true. People have it ingrained that antibiotics don’t help with viral illnesses and they have decided that it’s the same thing. It’s not.

Not sure white wine is high enough percentage

It is if you drink it. May not help with a virus though!

Have we had enough comments about washing hands yet? Obviously that's preferable but not always possible when you're out and about!

Lots of it in the shops today. None of it any good against a virus as it isn’t high enough alcohol content.

Are you sure? The three different brands I gave knocking around all are.

I haven’t noticed hand gel being out (I just haven’t looked tbh) but I DID notice an empty shelf of paracetamol yesterday in our co-op.
Asda was also out of large bags of pasta (I normally by everything big anyway because we are a family of 8!)

I’m guessing it will all
Be restocked the next time I go but it did bring to my attention that people might be starting to worry .

Are they not concerned about the children drinking them?

My child's school has told us NOT to let children take it in to school, because of the alcohol content. Mind you, she has a bubblegum scented one (boak), so I wouldn't put it past her to try it...

Anti bac gel does nothing against an airborne virus

Don’t get the run on hand gels

It's not "airborne", it's droplets, respiratory droplets. I.e sneeze juice. And other people's sneeze juice can be carried by you from your hands to your face by you. People touch their faces.

Killing the sneeze juice is why people want alcohol gel.

I brought about thirty bottles back with me from the US last time I was there. Bath and Body Works do them in amazing scents. Didn't realise how handy they would be.

The best way to stop the spread of germs and disease is to wash your hands on a regular basis. Using gel is not a replacement for that.

FFS, it is in ADDITION to washing my.hands.

By washing my hands I men's for at least 20 secs , with water and soap by rubbing continuously on all the following occasions :

• when I get into work or when I get home

• before leaving home or work
• before using the toilet
• after using the toilet
• before eating
• before cooking
• several times while cooking

In addition I use gel ( Mon 60 per cent alcohol)after touching things that are touched by a lot of people ( ATMs, card payment readers, parking meters,.bus handholds and bell buttons etc

i don't have OCD. I have started doing this in the last couple of weeks as I think it is a sensible precaution. Others can do .as they see fit

None in boots today. Shop assistant told me people had been coming in and buying ten years worth at a time

There’s a boots near me that is limiting you to two bottles each. I was asked to get some for the office - we have someone going through chemo now so are trying to do everything we can to keep it all as clean as possible in the office - and I had to order it online for a collection at a store a little while away.

• @adaline it is stupid to keep categorically stating that “antibacterial hand gel doesn’t kill viruses” over and over again. It’s just not true. People have it ingrained that antibiotics don’t help with viral illnesses and they have decided that it’s the same thing. It’s not*

I haven't said that at all and it's not what I was referring to either!

Try the Primark kids/baby section. They have it in little pink unicorn bottles and no one has probably noticed

I was in Primark today and they had run out of hand gel.
So actually that was 6 shops before I got the last 2 from B&M.

Soap and water would be good

Oh look, another thread to hide.

For years and years now I’ve been in the habit of not touching my face when out and about and washing my hands the moment I get in. I don’t touch door handles with my bare hands unless I can help it. I push doors open with my elbows.
This makes me sound rather unhinged but I rarely get ill

And this hysteria is why I’ve always been against antibacterial products. You don’t need them. It’s all a marketing ploy. All you need is a good wash with soap and water.