Trying to find a zero waste hand sanitizer, I searched for products that are effective at killing germs but are also sustainable, refillable, reusable, or recyclable.
I personally love Cleancult’s zero waste hand sanitizer because it is powerful, alcohol-free, and doesn’t dry out your hands. I also like the design of their reusable dispenser.
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Top 5 Zero Waste Hand Sanitizers
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What features to look for in an eco-friendly hand sanitizer?
What to look for in a hand sanitizer depends on what you need in your life. Zero waste hand sanitizer products come in all shapes and sizes.
It is essential to take your lifestyle and preferences into consideration when choosing an eco-friendly hand sanitizer.
Some products have aluminum bottles and packaging that are 100% recyclable and reusable. A few hand sanitizers use other ingredients, such as witch hazel, to cleanse hands instead of alcohol.
A few questions to ask when choosing the perfect sustainable cleanser are:
- What is my budget?
- Do I want a plain or scented product?
- Do I want a sanitizer with or without alcohol?
Full List of Zero Waste Hand Sanitizers
1. Cleancult Foaming Hand Sanitizer Bundle
We love that this alcohol-free, non-toxic, and eco-friendly Hand Sanitizer Bundle by Cleancult is moisturizing and safe for kids to use. Alcohol-based hand sanitizer gel can be harsh and leave you with abrasions that could introduce bacteria.
Cleancult’s product won’t do that. It will leave your hands feeling hydrated and clean.
The product’s zero-waste glass dispenser is durable, shatter-proof, and lead-free. Included with the dispenser is a BPA-free plastic pump. Both should last a lifetime but are recyclable if needed.
The bundle also includes a hand sanitizer refill carton that is recyclable and plastic-free.
Reviews
Reviewers loved that this zero-waste hand sanitizer product is very moisturizing, not sticky, and completely fragrance-free. While there were no negative reviews, one person commented that this sanitizer doesn’t have the typical cooling effect other products have.
2. Human-Kind Pocket-Size Zero Waste Hand Sanitizer (3-Pack)
If you’re looking for something strong enough to kill germs but still gentle on the hands, the Human-Kind Three-Pack is an excellent choice. We love that you can mix-and-match between their all-natural eucalyptus, grapefruit, and unscented sanitizers.
Each order comes in a set of pocket-sized recyclable aluminum bottles. Its pump caps are reusable, reducing single-use plastic waste by 2.12 oz each refill. Their bottles are small, so they’re easy to transport.
Human-Kind invests in strategic forest preservation projects to 100% offset their carbon footprint.
Reviews
There are no reviews at the time of this article.
3. Plaine Products 16 oz. Zero Waste Hand Sanitizer
Plaine Product’s hand sanitizer shows that sometimes, simpler is better. It’s what isn’t in this product that makes it stand out. Their sanitizer only contains 70% ethyl alcohol, water, and peppermint essential oil. The peppermint essential oil it contains is antimicrobial and antiviral.
Plaine Product’s reusable sixteen-ounce zero-waste hand sanitizer bottle is ideal for office spaces, classrooms, shops, and other high-traffic areas. You can also use it to refill your travel-size hand sanitizer bottles.
Once you purchase a bottle, you can reuse the pump to eliminate waste.
Reviews
Customers loved this hand sanitizer’s appealing peppermint smell. They appreciated that the product dried quickly, didn’t feel sticky, and left their hands feeling soft. Reviewers didn’t have anything bad to say about this brand.
4. Tangie Zero Waste Hand Sanitizer
Tangie is a company that is all about being environmentally friendly – from its ingredients to its green shipping practices. The sanitizer has a blend of natural ingredients, including alcohol, essential oils, and hyaluronic acid. It’s a great alternative when soap and water aren’t available.
Tangie at Zero Waste Products doesn’t use any new plastic for shipping and packaging. They reuse bubble wrap from incoming shipments and ship products in reusable plastic. There is no plastic contained in its glass bottle that has an aluminum lid.
Reviews
At the time of this article, there are no reviews on this product.
5. Package Free Organic Hand Cleanser
Clean your hands without heavy hand washing the natural way with Package Free Organic Hand Cleanser. This organic hand sanitizer spray uses witch hazel and aloe vera as natural cleansers instead of alcohol. It is a winning combination that nourishes your skin and heals it rather than irritating it.
The company makes its hand sanitizer bottles with recyclable glass and uses paper labels printed with soy ink. You can reuse its pump infinite times. Its natural products and recyclable containers make this a green product you can feel good about using.
Reviews
Most of the customers who reviewed this product agreed that its best feature is its appealing smell and sustainable glass bottle. This product’s main critiques were that it isn’t effective against coronavirus and doesn’t have an attractive look.
6. The Good Fill No-Rinse Cleanser/Hand Sanitizer
Good Fill’s hand sanitizer doubles as a surface disinfectant so that you can have peace of mind wherever you go. While it is powerful, it is also skin-friendly and moisturizing.
It’s effective at killing the bacteria and viruses on your hands. This hand sanitizer contains sustainably-sourced ingredients that are cleansing and nourishing.
The company is committed to green practices. Once you finish using this product, you can return the bottle to The Good Fill to appropriately recycle it. Its spray pump is reusable.
Reviews
Customers loved that this product was highly effective but didn’t dry out their hands. One thing almost all of them agreed on was that its citrus smell was irresistible. This product had no negative reviews.
7. Docshultz Hand Sanitizer Bundle
Doc Shultz allows customers to create custom bundles to fit their sanitizing needs. They have small travel-size bottles, a full-size product, surface sanitizers, and a sanitizer holder available. Each one is highly potent against germs. Their hand sanitizers have essential oils enriched with vitamins that moisturize skin.
It is a zero-waste hand sanitizer that comes in glass bottles. These containers won’t become toxic in your car on a hot, sunny day. Every one of their bottles is reusable and refillable.
Reviews
Buyers loved that this brand is a high-quality, zero-waste hand sanitizer with a fresh smell that does not come in a plastic bottle. There were no negative reviews about this product.
Which hand sanitizer should I choose?
All of the products on the list are great zero waste hand sanitizers. Which one you choose depends on you and your personal preferences.
Regardless of which one you choose, they are all more sustainable than your average hand sanitizer gel. Each of these cleansers either comes in aluminum or glass hand sanitizer bottles or dispensers.
Suppose you’re looking for a product that doesn’t use alcohol as its base. In that case, the Cleancult Foaming Hand Sanitizer Bundle and the Package Free Organic Hand Cleanser are great choices.
Cleancult uses the power of Benzalkonium Chloride to kill 99% of germs. It is also an excellent option for those who want an entirely fragrance-free hand sanitizer product. It even comes with a hand sanitizer refill.
Package Free Organic Cleanser uses witch hazel as its primary sanitizing agent. This product is also hydrating, using aloe vera.
Perhaps the most eco-friendly hand sanitizer on our list is the Tangie Zero Waste Hand Sanitizer. This product has no plastic in its bottle and reuses bubble wrap from incoming shipments. It’s an entirely waste-free hand sanitizer.
A product that works best for those looking for a multi-purpose sanitizer is The Good Fill No-Rinse Cleanser/Hand Sanitizer. This product is suitable for disinfecting both surfaces and hands.
The best choices if you need a large amount of hand sanitizer are the Human-Kind Pocket-Size Hand Sanitizer Three Pack, the Plaine Products 16 oz. Hand Sanitizer and the Docshultz Hand Sanitizer Bundle. These come with multiple bottles or larger sizes, so you don’t need to refill as often.
No matter which one of these products you choose, you’ll find that they all thoroughly cleanse your hands without heavy hand washing and are environmentally friendly.
What are the benefits of using refillable hand sanitizer?
Why use a refillable hand sanitizer? Simple, our planet depends on it.
Despite recent efforts to cut down on plastic, there will be 710 million tons of plastic waste on our planet by 2040. The COVID-19 pandemic has further accelerated plastic waste caused by single-use hand sanitizer bottles.
Reducing our plastic consumption, recycling, and reusing bottles can help minimize this impact.
Reusable water bottles have become very popular in recent years. Why not reusable hand sanitizer bottles?
It is now easier than ever to go plastic-free with so many companies selling refillable hand sanitizer bottles, dispensers, and hand sanitizer refills.
Can you make your own homemade hand sanitizer?
There are plenty of recipes online for hand sanitizers that you can make at home. Just because you make it at home doesn’t mean they’re zero waste!
Are there zero waste hand sanitizers that you can make at home?
There are some recipes for zero waste hand sanitizer gel and spray at home. Something to keep in mind is that they are only as zero waste as the ingredients you put into them since some come in plastic bottles.
The FDA recommends purchasing hand sanitizer over making it at home because it can be ineffective and even harmful if made incorrectly.
Can we eat after using hand sanitizer?
One concern that many people have is whether hand sanitizer is toxic to use before eating.
Hand sanitizer is a suitable way to cleanse your hands before eating if soap and water aren’t available. You can eat your meal in peace after your hand sanitizer has completely dried.
Don’t confuse this with eating your hand sanitizer. Ingesting hand sanitizer probably wouldn’t taste very good and is very toxic!
Some tips for getting the most out of your hand sanitizer before eating are:
- Rubbing hand sanitizer all over your hands, getting inside the crevices and under your nails
- Using enough hand sanitizer to wet your hands fully
- Rub your hands until dry (about 20 seconds)
- Don’t dry your hands before the hand sanitizer naturally dries
- Don’t use it as a replacement for washing your hands if your hands are greasy or visibly dirty
What is a good eco-friendly alternative for hand sanitizer we might have at home?
There is no better alternative for hand sanitizer than good ole soap and water. This classic combo is the most effective way to defeat germs, break down grease, remove pesticides, and wash away chemicals.
If you’re at home or are somewhere with access to a bathroom, soap and water should always come before using a sanitizer. Heavy handwashing is the best way to defeat all of the scum you don’t want.
Soap and water can also be eco-friendly. We have another article that you may enjoy reading about environmentally-friendly handsoaps that are plastic-free and green.
My favorite zero waste hand sanitizer
It is essential to protect ourselves against germs.
Still, it doesn’t need to come at the expense of our natural resources. Having a high-quality hand sanitizer that is zero waste, moisturizing, and sustainable is vital in this day and age.
That is why I love Cleancult’s zero waste hand sanitizer. It is powerful but also has the perk of being eco-friendly and refillable.
It goes the extra mile because it also comes with a reusable dispenser that’s built to last.
No matter which zero waste hand sanitizer you end up choosing, you’ll be doing the planet and your hands a favor.
On the same subject:
- Eco-Friendly Products: The Definitive Guide to Eco-friendly Products in 2020
- Zero Waste Hand soap: 15 Zero Waste and Plastic-Free Hand Soaps Wash
- Zero Waste Dishwasher Detergent: 11 Zero Plastic-Free Dishwasher Detergent
- Body Wash Refill: Less-Waste Reusable Shower Gels