I am somewhat mysophobic (fear of cross contamination) and as long as there are soap, water and either paper towels or a hand dryer, I'm fine. In a long term situation, they may not be available.

I do not use hand-held bottles of hand sanitizer because even after I sanitize my hands, I'm still handling a bottle I contaminated prior to using the hand sanitizer. In some ways the pump bottles are better but I still need a way to transport the bottle and I need a flat, hard surface to place it on. I like the individually wrapped towelettes because I don't recontaminate my hands after using them but I am limited to the number I can carry.

Does anyone have a suggestion?

Edit: The problem with hand sanitizer bottles has been resolved.

Jeanette Isabelle

I'm mildly similar, nothing debilitating, but I think about it a lot. Especially if we're talking worst fear NBC stuff, but even everyday survival things.

Say I have a bag for water, and I fill it with water from a pond and drop a Micropur tablet in there. Well the pond water is inside, but also on the threads and outside. I don't want to purify the water inside only to have my lips touch residual contaminated pond water that was trapped in the bag / bottle threads when I drink it! And I know you're supposed to splash some of the treated water on the threads to address that, but when? In the beginning as the tablet is dissolving? After it's dissolved? I dunno.

Probably overthinking it.

The bottle of hand sanitizer doesn't bother me as much; I usually put extra in my hands and rub the bottle down too lol.

I'm sure most of it's just common sense stuff, but there's not much you can do sometimes

Perhaps you could use both liquid hand sanitizer and the individually-wrapped towelettes, and use the latter to clean the former?

How is that saving any anything? The towelettes used to clean the bottle could have been used for the hands thereby eliminating the need for the bottle.

Jeanette Isabelle

I think John McCann has a solution for that.

http://www.bepreparedtosurvive.com/The%20Aqua-Pouch%20Plus%20Water%20Purification%20Kit.htm

Be sure you have a dedicated container for dipping in untreated water.

Jeanette Isabelle

I was thinking that once the bottle is cleaned up you can keep it clean for future use. Also, I am the father of three petri dishes young children, so I often deal in mass disinfection events.

I could; I would just contaminate it again the next time I use it.

Jeanette Isabelle

Put some 70% isopropyl alcohol (or 151 proof booze) in a little spray bottle. Comes in handy cleaning all sorts of stuff. Just spray it on and let it evaporate.

I like this sort of thinking. Isopropyl alcohol is always available. I do not have to worry about running out.

But we are back to handling a contaminated bottle.

Jeanette Isabelle

Maybe I'm just dense, but I don't see the problem with the hand sanitizer bottle.
You find you need to sanitize your hands, so you pull out your squeeze bottle of hand sanitizer, squeeze some into your one hand and put the bottle back in it's stored location with the other. You then rub sanitizer between hands resulting in sanitized hands. The next time you reach for the bottle, your hands will be contaminated anyway, right? Did I get it or did I miss something?
Anyway, I used to be slightly concerned with cross contamination and I guess I still am when I use a public restroom, but outdoors, I'm kinda like, all bets are off. I'll try not to make myself sick through carelessness, but if it's gonna get me, it's gonna get me. My Grandma used to say, " You've got to eat a peck of dirt before you die." She's gone now, so I'm not sure if she was saying that one must eat a whole peck of dirt before they get sick and die or if you will eat a peck of dirt in you lifetime before you die...

-Jason

Come to think of it, you are right. If the bottle has a designated location, then there is no cross contamination.

Jeanette Isabelle

I am not so sure that I want to feed phobias. I've spent a lifetime trying to conquer mine. Thankfully with some fair degree of success . But, the problem could be effectively solved with a 3oz. Hand sanitizer bottle. Just take an extra large dollop to clean your hands and use the excess to rub down the bottle, cleansing it thereby . May not be up to hospital standards, but, as they say, it's good enough.

Just be aware for true efficacy, 70% alcohol must have substantial contact time (>5minutes) for certain organisms and for some organisms it is not effective at all. For the most part (there are a few exceptions), hand sanitizers are window dressing at best and can be detrimental by killing normal skin flora that help prevent pathogenic (disease causing) organisms from becoming established. Normally, hand washing with warm water and soap remains as one of the best approaches to sanitation. The goal is to reduce, not eliminate (which is not possible) gross contamination. Your body has natural defense mechanisms to combat the remaining low levels of harmful organisms. In a long-term survival situation with minimal water, you can still achieve sufficient hand sanitation with just enough water to lather your hands with a little soap or no soap and a handful or two of rinse water.

Pete

My sister-in-law used a big bottle of sanitizer with a pump dispenser. She used her elbow to pump out the Sanitizer gel and then uses a second squirt to use on her elbow. Of course, this doesn't translate especially well for the outdoors. If you've got a picnic bench available you could do it, but you'd still have the issue of taking it down when you're ready to go home. I'll have to ask her what she does when she's out and about. I know it's complicated but the details my be enlightening.

1. pick up gel bottle in dominant hand.
2. Squeeze into non-dominant hand.
3. Using the dominant hand, close the flip top and put it back where you found it.
4. Now, sanitize hands.

I really don't get that phobia, but that's OK. You do realize, however, that the area past your wrists (or where ever you stop washing) is just as contaminated as that bottle, right?

Dr. Brent Blue uses VioNex® No Rinse Gel. Is this one of the exceptions you have mentioned?

Jeanette Isabelle

Right. I am using my hands, not the rest of my arms, to handle objects. I am not transferring contaminates with my arms.

Jeanette Isabelle

Hi JeanetteIsabelle,

Yes, that product would be one of the exceptions. However, I would suggest using only when appropriate, such as when traditional hand washing is not an option or if you were to grossly contaminate your hands. Again, you want to try and maintain normal skin bacteria, while reducing disease causing organisms. Traditional hand washing with a mild soap and warm water appears to remain the best choice for routine sanitation.

Pete

Jeanette,

I think those of us who have been around ETS long enough know that Pete knows what he's talking about when it comes to germs. However, I hope you realize that Pete's approval of that particular brand does not mean that you end up with squeaky clean, sterile hands. I hope I don't come across too strongly because I know you said you're kind of phobic about this and sometimes factual arguments rub people the wrong way when it comes to these habits, but I don't want you to come away from this thread with incorrect information either.

In real world use, all hand sanitizers are going to leave behind a lot of critters, including the same critters that you seem to be worried about cross-contaminating yourself with from the bottle. At best, the hand sanitizer will reduce the number of bacteria. Worst case, the alcohol is ineffective at killing the particular strain of "bad" bacteria on your hands, and repeated use of hand sanitizers can increase the bacteria count on your hands.

As Pete was mentioning, you're killing off the trillions of so-called "good" or benign bacteria that cover every square inch of our bodies with the hand sanitizer. Those bacteria physically crowd out "bad" bacteria or create an environment (like a certain skin pH) that is not conducive to the growth of "bad" bacteria. It's like when you take a course of antibiotics. It wipes out "good" bacteria along with the "bad" ones in your gut, leaving yeasts or stray antibiotic-resistant bacteria a wide open field to multiply in unchecked.

Hand santizer also strips the protective skin oils which also normally traps bacteria underneath it (the oils can also inhibit the growth of bacteria).

Ultimately, it's a healthy immune system that keeps us from getting sick from these critters. Now, if the thought of any bacteria on your hands is what bothers you, well, I don't know what to say about that. You can't avoid them. Like I said, it's normal that we're totally covered in them.

No offense intended, I'm just trying to assist, but have you tried to get help in dealing with your fear of cross contamination rather than finding ways to support your fear of it?

I know traditional hand washing with soap and water continues to be the best choice. In my original post I said, "In a long term situation, they may not be available."

I want the second best choice if the best choice is not available.

Jeanette Isabelle

I am on medication for depression and general anxiety.

I have also seen a psychologist for a couple of years with questionable results.

Jeanette Isabelle

Noted. In a survival situation if all I have is just enough water to drink, I have a bigger problem than dirty hands.

Just how much water are we talking about and what sources? Water from a creak could make the situation worse.

For the sake of discussion I have adequate amounts of quality water. I would need paper towels as cloth towels would need to be washed.

Jeanette Isabelle