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Product Expiry Dates – Useful or Meaningless

Posted by Michael in Uncategorized - (0 Comments)

Q. Are expiry dates for hand care products relevant? 

A. You would think that expiry dates are relevant as they should declare the usable life of a product. They are required by legislation, are also deemed to be good manufacturing and quality practice. Expiry dates vary with product types, but are typically given as 30 months after the date of manufacture.

Q. What theoretical or actual effect would the use of an expired product have on a customer who used it after the date had expired?

A. None. In fact, alcohol-based hand sanitizers, and hand soaps packed in sealed refill cartridges, continue to be efficacious for up to 60+ months (up to 5 + years) after manufacture. Therefore, we do not envisage any adverse effect from the products even after the initial printed expiry dates shown on the products.

Q. So, if there is no discernible effect, then what is the point of the expiry dates?

A. Customer information, good manufacturing and product stewardship practices, and compliance.

Q. Is it necessary to declare an expiry date at all, bearing in mind that the products are not intended to be eaten, like yoghurt or meat?

A. Current legislation requires that product expiry dates be declared. However, under good conditions of use and storage, most hand care products will last for considerably longer, as has been mentioned. 

Q. If these dates are a legal requirement would it not be relevant to lobby for a change in the legislation, because expiry dates are irrelevant and/or misleading?

A. We would like to see a repeal of any irrelevant legislation or standard in business practices that continues to mislead and inadequately inform customers and the public.

Our View

If an alcohol-based hand sanitizer is so heavily laden with biocides (alcohol) that it will be efficacious for 60+ months after the product has “officially” expired, then what is the point of the expiry date? It only serves to confuse users and customers. And because many of our customers who buy these products for their staff to use, or to sell on, are in fear of being accused of providing out of date product with all the overburdening health and safety implications, it has become a real issue.

Because neither we nor the manufacturers have any control over how and where products are stored once purchased (conditions which can affect the longevity of a product) does this not again render the “official” expiry date mere guesswork? 

So Hand-Cleaners.co.uk question the relevance of providing expiry dates as being useful customer information, because it is unquestionably misleading information. Good manufacturing and product stewardship practice and compliance we condone, but only when the information provided is meaningful. Some manufacturers provide an “extension letter” either before or after a sale, in order to justify the sale of an expired product, a practice which we believe is perceived by some of our customers to be spurious, and impacts upon our integrity as perceived by our customers. We feel it should not be necessary if expiry dates are either meaningful or non-existent.
 
It seems to us, after speaking with some manufacturers on this very topic, that applying expiry dates to such products as alcohol-based hand sanitizers is unnecessary, and that very point ought to be brought to the attention of government legislators (no doubt EU-based) who create this irrelevant legislation.

BE AWARE OF THE PLACES BACTERIA LIKE BEST

Posted by Michael in THE PLACES BACTERIA LIKE BEST - (0 Comments)

RESTAURANTS: Have you ever seen a restaurant menu being cleaned? No, neither have I. So it’s a brilliant idea to take the little bottle of PURELL or SALVO-GEL hand sanitizer out of you pocket or handbag, squirt a little onto the hands and rub the gel in. The same applies to the salt and pepper shakers, sauce bottles and other shared table property. Washroom/toilet door handles – as we have stated elsewhere in this blog, some people have the good sense and courtesy to others to wash their hands before leaving public toilets. Others don’t.  

Shopping Trolleys – they tend to be contaminated even with fecal bacteria. The bacterial count on the handle of a typical supermarket trolley often exceeds that of the average public toilet.  

Aircraft – You are 100 times more likely to catch a cold when you in an aircraft than you are on the ground. Also, when aircraft washrooms/toilets were tested, E. coli was found on taps, doorknobs and other surfaces.  

Your doctor’s surgery: after all that’s where people go when they are ill.  

Just be sure to keep a small bottle of PURELL or SALVO-GEL hand sanitizer with you to decontaminate your hands and so minimise any chance of sickness.

PURELL Hand Sanitizing Gel

Posted by Michael in PURELL Hand Sanitizer - (0 Comments)

When it was realised that healthcare workers required a means of killing the germs on their hands when they couldn’t get access to soap and water, GOJO Industries rose to the challenge and developed the product we know as PURELL. It soon became obvious that PURELL alcohol-based hand sanitizer would not only benefit healthcare providers, because restaurants and catering establishments too were seeking ways to diminish the spread of germs, and so reduce the risk of food contamination. 

PURELL was deemed a great success, effective at killing 99.99% of most common germs. People also found that it was gentle on the skin, easy and a pleasure to use. And because they didn’t need to have soap, water and towels close by they realised that it could be used anywhere. Ridding the hands of germs was therefore no longer limited to the constraints of a sink. What a great idea! 

Not surprisingly, PURELL grew in popularity. Those people who used it in their jobs realised it would be useful at home, to keep in their car, or their handbag. 

All this began in 1988. Today PURELL is the most recognizable hand sanitiser brand in the areas of medicine, dentistry, veterinary surgeries, doctors’ surgeries, clinics, food processors, caterers, schools and colleges, et al. It is the brand most preferred by professionals everywhere to safely decontaminate and refresh their hands.

USING PURELL TO HELP SPREAD CANTAGIOUS DISEASES.

Reducing the risk of spreading contagious diseases, and thus of contracting them, is largely a matter of common sense. For instance, when sneezing you can minimise the threat to others simply by covering your mouth, preferably with a handkerchief or tissue. This is where it is beneficial to have a small bottle of hand sanitizer with you, to sanitize your hands after containing a sneeze. 

When you are sick, stay at home and so keep yourself remote from those who are well, and so prevent the spread. Practising good hand hygiene is one of the easiest preventive measures. Wash your hands regularly, especially after using the washroom, after blowing your nose, after riding public transportation, or touching other public surfaces such as hand rails on stairs and escalators. And especially before eating.

GOJO introduce their Sustainable Hygiene Science Programme.

Posted by joe in Uncategorized - (0 Comments)

Gojo Sustainability programmeGOJO Industries maintain that choosing their hand care products is a healthy decision for people, places and the environment.

The GOJO SUSTAINABLE HYGIENE Science programme offers a comprehensive range of environmentally responsible, high performing hand cleaners and sanitizers, with features you would expect from an industry leader. Dispensers will henceforth accommodate SANITARY SEALED™ refills that use new lightweight, recyclable GOJO SMART FLEX™ sustainable packaging technology.

The products offered in the GOJO SUSTAINABLE HYGIENE™ Science portfolio are designed to meet industry standards for biodegradability and GOJO standards for sustainable formulations, based on the increased use of renewable ingredients sources, such as plant-based ethanol, glycerine, coconut oil, corn oil and jojoba oil. Their PURELL hand sanitizer features a natural, plant-based moisturiser that leaves skin soft and refreshed. 

The portfolio also features sealed recyclable refill packaging to minimize environmental and human health impacts, without sacrificing strength, and which features GOJO’s new SMART FLEX technology. In other words, they are supplying hand care products in packaging that offers the strength of rigid HDPE bottles, but employing PET containers which are lightweight and recyclable and which use 30% less material. GOJO are the first to offer dispenser refills with this new technology for their reange of hand cleaners and PURELL hand sanitizer. It is claimed that this switch will yield savings of over 250 tonnes of plastic each year.

Stoko and the EU Ecolabel

Posted by Michael in Hand Cleansers - (0 Comments)

Evonik, the German manufacturer of the STOKO brand of hand cleaners and skin care products, have always subscribed to achieve good environmental compatibility of their products. In the past year their heavy duty industrial hand cleaners NEOPOL, SOLOPOL and KRESTOPOL, along with several of the Stoko Refresh washroom  range, have undergone strict environmental certification, with the result that those products have been awarded the official label of the EU for environmentally-friendly products.

To have the EU Ecolabel assigned, products have to be subjected to a strict and thorough testing procedure. The production, consumption, sale, disposal, ingredients and packaging are all evaluated to ascertain that they have a low environmental impact, are not harmful to health, and have been independently assessed, etc.

So, Stoko heavy duty hand cleaners Neopol, Solopol and Krestopol, combine the effectiveness and excellent skin compatibility needed for gentle but thorough hand cleansing, coupled with very good environmental compatibility, now confirmed by the EU Ecolabel.

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Hand Sanitizers in Schools & Colleges

Posted by Michael in Schools - (1 Comments)

In UK 1.6 million school and college days are lost during the Autumn and Spring terms, due to absenteeism. It has been proved that one of the most effective ways to stop the spread of germs and prevent illness is through hand hygiene. Studies show that only 53% of students wash their hands after washroom use, and only 18% use soap. Hand cleaners and hand sanitizing gels and foams help reduce absenteeism in schools and colleges.

Keeping hands clean is a vital requirement in avoiding the spreading of germs to others. When soap and clean water are not available, use an alcohol-based product to clean your hands. Alcohol-based hand gels and foams significantly reduce the number of germs on skin, and are fast acting.

As any teacher will tell you, the most important aid to success in school and college or university is actually being there. Studies show PURELL hand sanitizer helps reduce absenteeism due to illness. 

When an independent research firm in USA tested the possibility of PURELL Instant Hand Sanitizer to reduce the number of sick days, regular use of the product reduced absenteeism by nearly 20%. (American College Health Association-National College Health Assessment; Reference Group Executive Summary Spring 2006. Baltimore: American College Health Association; 2006). 

The test involved more than 6,000 elementary school children in five school districts and 16 schools in Delaware, Ohio, Tennessee and California. In half of the schools, students and staff used PURELL hand sanitizer when entering and exiting classrooms. In the other half, PURELL was not made available.

 A reduction  of 19.8 per cent was achieved in overall absenteeism due to illness for those children attending the schools that offered PURELL, compared to those who weren’t able to use the product. This measure of success also impacts on parents, who need not miss work due to the necessity of nursing a sick child, or attending a doctor’s appointment.

Alcohol-based Hand Sanitizers

Posted by Michael in Hand Sanitizers - (0 Comments)

Alcohol-based hand sanitizers are antiseptic products, used to help reduce the spread of hand-borne infections. They kill most bacteria, fungi and some viruses.

Many public health authorities recommend alcohol-based hand sanitizers as a great alternative to soap and water for effective hand hygiene.

Hand sanitizers are available in flowable gel and foam formulations and are more effective at killing germs than soap and water.

Alcohol hand sanitizers do not dry out the skin. Clinical studies have shown that a properly formulated alcohol-based hand sanitizer with emollients is actually better tolerated than soap-and-water hand washing – not drying and not irritating.

Shelf Life.
Regulations require the products to keep for at least 30 months after the date of manufacture. Generally, hand sanitizing products can quite safely be used up to 2 years after this date.

Instant hand sanitizers kill common germs that may cause illness. Germ kill has been demonstrated in laboratory tests of common bacteria, viruses and fungi. However, the U.S. Food & Drug Administration  (FDA) does not currently allow makers of instant hand sanitizers to make claims against specific types of germs, due to concerns that consumers might erroneously believe that the particular illness caused by these germs will be completely prevented through use of the product. Because germs can be spread in a number of ways and one’s chances of actually developing an illness depends on a number of factors, no maker of these products can make that kind of guarantee. However, proper hand hygiene is one of the most important tools to prevent the spread of illness. This is why various organizations recommend hand-washing, or use of an alcohol-based instant hand sanitizer when soap and water are not available.

DIRECTIONS for using alcohol-based hand sanitisers:
Apply the hand gel or foam to the palm of one hand. Rub both hands together to distribute the hand gel over the entire hands and fingers, (and especially around fingernails and cuticles) until the hands are dry.

Barrier Creams – a Brief History

Posted by Michael in Barrier Creams & Hand Care | General Hygiene - (0 Comments)

In 1872 Vaseline was patented. The petroleum jelly’s main uses are protecting the skin from contamination from dirt, irritants and sources of infection, as well as repairing the skin.

The first recognised barrier cream in UK – Rozalex - was developed by Exide Batteries, in order to protect their workers from the hazardous substances present in the manufacture of batteries.

Since then, technological development has provided more efficient solutions and a newer way of dealing with skin protection. The effectiveness of modern barrier creams has surpassed that of traditional products. They leave the skin feeling natural and clean – allowing you to go about your work without leaving a greasy film on everything you handle. They also faclititate to an astonishing degree the removal of dirt and contaminants when the day’s work is done and you need to wash your hands.

Barrier creams can be water repellent, but might also be required to repel other solutions such as solvents, mineral oils, acids, alkalis, ink, paints, lubricants, etc. Thus, industrial barrier creams of necessity have different formulations to protect against the type of different contaminants you encounter during work.   

Modern skin protectants not only offer protection from skin irritants, but also moisturise and assist in the recovery of any pre-existing skin damage. Such properties benefit those who might be prone to suffering from contact dermatitis and/or irritating dry skin conditions.

Hand hygiene for everybody!

Posted by Michael in Uncategorized - (0 Comments)

What is the best way to practise hand hygiene?

Put simply, use soap and water. Wash the hands with a hand cleaning product for 15 to 20 seconds, using a little fresh water, then rinse. When soap and water are not available you may use an alcohol gel hand sanitizer.

Not everybody washes their hands after using public toilets. So be aware that when you touch that doorknob as you leave, those who haven’t washed their hands will have touched and contaminated the same doorknob. They will go on to contaminate the same shopping trolleys, stairs and escalator rails, tabletops, and menus that you will touch. 

You have no way of knowing those who do not wash their hands after using the loo, unless you have witnessed such an offender yourself.  That’s one reason why PURELL Hand Sanitizer and SALVO-GEL are available in pocket-size bottles. Always carry a bottle on shopping trips and other excursions for a quick, refreshing clean up when you’ve touched something that has also been handled by those who are too eager to leave the washroom without first washing.

It might seem unfriendly, but have you ever hesitated to extend a hand to someone you know or have just been introduced to, on account of the possibility of them passing on germs. Apparently, a growing number of the population is very concerned about picking up germs this way. Yet if you have a bottle of hand sanitizer with you it should not be such a concern. Go on, shake that hand. You could have much to gain.