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Most environmentalists already know antibacterial soaps, detergents, or hand sanitizers are to be avoided. Yes, University of Michigan researchers found that antibacterial soaps just don't live up to their claims and are no better at preventing infections than plain soaps. Beyond that, "antibacterial" products contain hormone-disrupting chemicals and can encourage bacterial mutations resistant to medicines we have.
Still these "antibacterial" products remain popular. And at workplaces, antibacterial hand sanitizers are commonplace. What's an environmentalist to do?
Enter Clean George, a hand purifier free of both alcohol and chemicals. Yep, we're talking no phthalates, no parabens, no weird "antibacterials." Instead, Clean George uses ECOCERT, Certified Organic and FSC Certified ingredients, replacing chemical antibacterials with tea tree oil, which is recognized as a natural antibacterial.
Clean George, in fact, is both a hand sanitizer and hand moisturizer, all in one bottle. Spray it on your hand, and you'll get a little foamy mound to rub into your skin. It takes a little longer than the common hand sanitizers to absorb, but under a minute, your hands'll be non-greasy and dry -- and moisturized to boot.
My one qualm about Clean George: I find the scent a bit pungent. Clean George comes in three scents: Lovin' Lavender, Grapefruit n' Sage, and mint-alyptus. Oddly, I actually heart all the scents mentioned here; I believe it's the smell of tea tree oil that I'm quibbling with. But to be fair, I also found the scent of most hand sanitizers too pungent back when I tried them -- so I may be overly sensitive. Thus, I'm going to send samples out to my readers on green LA girl to get a better judge on how Clean George compares, scent-wise, to common hand sanitizers.
Regardless, Clean George seems to be getting some fans. Zem of Ecofabulous loves it, for one. In LA, Erewhon, Golden Bridge Yoga Center, and Liberation Yoga have started carrying this natural hand sanitizer. Perhaps this non-antibacterial, alcohol-free, organic, FSC certified and ECOCERT hand purifier will indeed give "traditional" hand sanitizers a run for their money!
Want Clean George for yourself? A 2 oz. bottle costs $11.99. Get it at Clean George's own shop :)
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BlogHer Contributing Editor Siel also blogs for the Los Angeles Times at Emerald City, and at greenLAgirl.com.
