Sunday, April 24, 2011

Long-Lasting Hand Sanitizer: WIN!

In the aftermath of any natural catastrophe or man-made calamity, staying clean and healthy is a primary concern. When you don't have access to hot running water, you need some other way to clean your hands and ensure that you're not spreading germs or ingesting them with your food when you eat.

The U.S. government's Be Ready checklist suggests keeping moist towelettes in your disaster kit, and FEMA's disaster supply list includes waterless hand sanitizer. I bought two large bottles of alcohol-based hand sanitizer in 2005, and I can attest that it will last awhile, as both bottles are still mostly full. We'd use it more, but the heavy citrus fragrance is tough on my husband's allergies.

Prefense Foaming Hand Sanitizer

I'm pleased to say that the newest hand sanitizer in the house has just a light fragrance that dissipates after a few minutes, so I can use it around him more often. This new brand of hand sanitizer is called Prefense. I've been using it for the past couple of weeks, in order to write this review. Since my husband won't believe me when I saw I need a microscope in the kitchen, I have no way of testing the scientific claims,  but I can tell you that it's easy to use, it absorbs or dissipates quickly, and it doesn't leave my skin feeling sticky or dry.



The 1.5 ounce bottle that I've been using is a great size for keeping in my purse, and it's within the TSA guidelines for carry-on liquids. Each spray, according to the company, will stay on your hands through ten hand washings, for at least 24 hours, so you don't have to constantly re-apply all day. That means your hand sanitizer will last longer and it's one less thing you have to worry about, whether you're cleaning up after a disaster, trying to avoid catching cold while you're working at a cash register during the Christmas season, or preparing a picnic in the park for your family reunion.

The Prefense website lists more than six-dozen bugs that its hand sanitizer protects against, including several types of staph bacteria, flu viruses, germs, molds and fungi.

How does it work?

In a 2009 press release, Prefense president Aaron Powers described how the product works.  “Ours is a silicone based product made up of zillions of tiny micro filaments,” Powers said.  “And instead of shrinking or poisoning pathogens into submission like alcohol based products, Prefenz literally slits the cell’s wall and destroys it on contact.  That means there’s no opportunity for these cells to mutate and to come back as some kind of new super strain.”

Cool, huh? Oh, I should explain that the product has also been marketed as PrefenzBotanicals, and that's what the labeling says on the bottle I received, but it's the same as Prefense.

Prefense contains just four ingredients: Amosilq Silica Complex, water, cocamidopropyl betaine, and essential oil fragrance. You know what water and fragrance are, and I'll try to tell you a little about the other two.

I looked up cocamidopropyl betaine on the Environmental Working Group's Skin Deep database. This is a great site that tells you more about ingredients found in personal hygiene and cosmetics products. According to Skin Deep, cocamidopropyl betaine is used in more than two-thousand products as a cleansing agent, foam booster, and an agent for increasing viscosity. I think this is what helps keep your skin from drying out like with other hand sanitizers.

The key ingredient for germ protection in Prefense seems to be the Amosil-Q, a chemical compound patented in 2003 by Dr. William Peterson, President and CEO of Coating Systems Laboratories, and two co-creators. When I did a search for Amosilq (as it appears on the product label), not a lot of results came up. Then I found an FDA advisory warning consumers to be wary of hand sanitizers that claim to protect against MRSA. None of the products listed in the advisory contain Amosil-Q, but I started digging for more information and eventually (it took a couple of hours, at least) I found a product listing on a National Institutes of Health site, and that led me to a Wikipedia article on Benzalkonium chloride.

After all this reading, I feel pretty confident that Prefense protects against all those bugs it lists as well as it claims. I probably wouldn't use it every day, but I think it's great to use on days when you know you're at higher risk of contamination: yard sale days, working a cash register during the holidays, traveling on any kind of public transportation, and yes, cleaning up after a hurricane.

Your Chance to Win

One winner will receive an 8-ounce bottle of Prefense Foaming Hand Sanitizer.

FIRST ENTRY:  Leave a comment here on why you think Prefense is perfect for a disaster kit, plus tell us what other item you think should be in everyone's kit.

Please be sure that I have a way to contact you, in case you're the winner. The form asks for your email address, but that's just for logging into Blogger; I can't see it. Be sure that your Blogger profile shows your email or include your email addy with your comment.

EXTRA ENTRIES: For each item you complete, leave another comment here (two comments in the case of tweeting) and be sure to include a link to your comments and tweets.

*leave a relevant comment on any non-giveaway post on this blog (+1)
*like Prefense on Facebook (+1)
*follow Auriette and Prefense on Twitter and tweet about this giveaway (+2)
suggested tweet: Enter for your chance to win a revolutionary new hand sanitizer from @prefense and @auriette: http://bit.ly/i32rHR #giveaway ends May 14.

You can earn a maximum of five entries per household. Eligible comments must be made no later than 11:59pm ET on Saturday, May 14, 2011. Entrants must be 18 or older, with shipping addresses in the United States. One winner will be selected by random drawing no later than Sunday May 15 and notified by email. Winner must respond to the email with mailing address within 72 hours or another winner will be selected.

Disclaimer

The makers of Prefenz Botanicals provided me with a 1.5 ounce bottle of their product so I could try it for myself and write this review. The company is also providing the 8 ounce bottle that will be given away through this post. I received no other compensation or consideration, and the opinions expressed in this post are my own.

46 comments:

mverno said...

because it kills so many types of bacteria.another item a turnakit
mverno@roadrunner.com

Kitty Cardero said...

Prefense is perfect for a disaster kit because it lasts longer and therefore takes up less space in the kit. A flashlight would be another item to keep in a kit.

Unknown said...

This is great in first aid kits, because if you was to get cut, this would help keep the air clean! Another thing that should be in a disaster kit, is a can opener! I know when we get our cellar we will have a stash of foods incase something was to happen. No one said your kit has to be in a small box!

Anonymous said...

its a great thing to have on hand incase of an emergency.....the other item i would have to say is water!
taylorcmarves@aol.com

Debbie said...

This is perfect for a disaster kit because it is small, but really makes a big difference in keeping clean if there were ever a disaster and we didn't have clean water to wash our hands.

Debbie: rebbiedeed(at)hotmail(dot)com

Barbarawr said...

This would be great for a disaster kit because it lasts a long time, so you wouldn't need much of it. I need aspirin in my disaster kit! Disasters are stressful, so everyone thinks about water, money, radio, and flashlight - but it you're incapacitated because your head is splitting, you still won't be able to cope.

Email address is in blogger profile

Debbie said...

Sorry, I forgot to add in my last comment that I think a flashlight should be in everyone's disaster kit.

Debbie: rebbiedeed(at)hotmail(dot)com

Barbarawr said...

I like Prefense on Facebook - barbara wright

Email address is in blogger profile

Barbarawr said...

I follow Auriette and Prefense on Twitter and tweeted http://twitter.com/bsw529/status/69426378210160640

Email address is in blogger profile

Barbarawr said...

I follow Auriette and Prefense on Twitter and tweeted http://twitter.com/bsw529/status/69426378210160640

Email address is in blogger profile

anonymous said...

I think Prefense is great for disaster kits because after a disaster there is a lot of debris you can get cut on and probably no clean water to wash with. A flashlight is another item I would keep in my kit. LPoser1 [AT] gmail [DOT] com

ashleynichole said...

I would love this because it's easier than making sure you have soap and you don't have to waste your drinking water on hand washing. I agree with Kitty... a flashlight or matches are so important.

ashleydangit at gmail dot com

Dana said...

Sounds like a good germ protector. I think all disaster kits should have alcohol because it is so versatile. dmatthews38751@yahoo.com

Dana said...

I LIKE Prefense Hand Sanitizer on Facebook as Dana Matthews. dmatthews38751@yahoo.com

Unknown said...

great to have when water is not available~~~flashlights are essential when light outages happen

kendraco22 at yahoo dot com

cpage2323 said...

I think it should be in a disaster kit because it kills a variety of bugaboos and lasts since you only have to apply once every 24 hours. I think an essential is a flashlight/radio that is controlled by handcrank instead of batteries!
trixie420247 at yahoo dot com

cpage2323 said...

i like prefense on fb(tina wofford page)
trixie420247 at yahoo dot com

Kait said...

because it will help with sanitation. Also water and toilet paper s/b in the kit

karlatrx AT gmail DOT com

Little Mama Meow said...

I think Prefense hand sanitizer would be good in a disaster kit because it's long lasting and kills germs so if someone got hurt itd be easier to keep the wound from getting infected. A GPS tracker would also be good to have in a disaster kit.

Littlemamameow@gmail.com

Little Mama Meow said...

Liked Prefense on FB (Carolina Thomas)

Littlemamameow@gmail.com

Little Mama Meow said...

Following Auriette and Prefense on twitter and tweeted about the giveaway #1

http://twitter.com/#!/LittleMamaMeow/status/69528721731764224

Littlemamameow@gmail.com

Little Mama Meow said...

Following Auriette and Prefense on twitter and tweeted about the giveaway #2

http://twitter.com/#!/LittleMamaMeow/status/69528721731764224

Littlemamameow@gmail.com

turq said...

I think it's great for a disaster kit because it,s small so it fits in a small place, but Huge on being able to kill germs, it's great because it only take one use to kill germs all day which would be a needed thing in the time of a disaster.. and I think you should also have water.. a body can't live without water.
chocho1957@hotmail.com

turq said...

I like Prefense on Facebook
chocho1957@hotmail.com

turq said...

I follow Auriette and Prefense on Twitter and tweeted about this giveaway.
http://twitter.com/#!/Turq101/status/69541790008606720
chocho1957@hotmail.com

turq said...

I follow Auriette and Prefense on Twitter and tweeted about this giveaway
http://twitter.com/#!/Turq101/status/69541790008606720
chocho1957@hotmail.com

jadavis said...

It should be in every kit because if a disaster hits what are the chances you are gonna find soap or clean water? I think another thing to go in a kit would be one of those new regular sized water bottles with the filter inside that way you could make your own clean water if needed!
jadavis42@tntech.edu

jadavis said...

I like Prefense on Facebook
jadavis42@tntech.edu

jadavis said...

I follow Auriette and Prefense on Twitter and tweeted about this giveaway!
jadavis42@tntech.edu

jadavis said...

I follow Auriette and Prefense on Twitter and tweeted about this giveaway! #2
jadavis42@tntech.edu

jadavis said...

I commented on your "Disaster Strikes Again" post
jadavis42@tntech.edu

won said...

I think Prefense is good for a disaster kit because as a germ freak, it'd be an even greater disaster if I had to worry about that!

Water would be the second most important thing.

won2xx at gmail dot com

won said...

like Prefense on Facebook

cman said...

You don't always have access to clean water during a disaster.
A flashlight.

SisWins said...

I think this would be perfect for a disaster kit because you'd be in conditions where you cannot be sure what you are exposed to, and this will help protect you from a lot! Also, have a flashlight and extra batteries!
siswins2 at gmail dot com

SisWins said...

following both via twitter (@SisWins) and tweeted
http://twitter.com/#!/SisWins/status/69576404064415744
siswins2 at gmail dot com
#1

SisWins said...

following both via twitter (@SisWins) and tweeted
http://twitter.com/#!/SisWins/status/69576404064415744
siswins2 at gmail dot com
#2

SisWins said...

I left a comment on this post:
http://stormsafety.blogspot.com/2011/04/disaster-strikes-again.html

I can't put a link to my actualy post until you approve it, so I hope this is ok.

Thanks again for the great information.
siswins2 at gmail dot com

kelley c said...

I think this is perfect because you can clean yourself up a bit with it. I think everyone should have a flashlight in thieir kit.

pandahugger(at)gmail(dot)com

Dana West Young said...

During Hurricane Rita we were desperate for something like this. No water and lots of clean up work meant lots of germs with no way to remove them! It was terrible! This would be great to have on hand! Thanks for the great giveaway!
dana10879@yahoo.com

Dana West Young said...

I like Prefense on FB
Dana West
dana10879@yahoo.com

Dana West Young said...

I follow you and Prefense on Twitter and tweeted! 1
@SETexasMama
dana10879@yahoo.com

http://twitter.com/#!/SETexasMama/status/69586254047617024

Dana West Young said...

I follow you and Prefense on Twitter and tweeted! 2
@SETexasMama
dana10879@yahoo.com

http://twitter.com/#!/SETexasMama/status/69586254047617024

Becky said...

I think its best because its convenient. you should also have matches in a kit

Unknown said...

It is great for a disaster kit because it is a great way to clean up the mess on your body and keep you from getting sick. You don't have to use your water stock and it lasts forever.

junerlisle at gmail dot com

Unknown said...

I follow prefense on facebook (June Lisle)

junerlisle at gmail dot com