Archive for the ‘Outdoor’ Category

CleanWell Natural Hand Sanitizer: What They’re Saying So Far

Monday, March 5th, 2007

Sure. Pick up that raisin and eat it — it’s only been on the ground for four seconds!

Works for me.  After all, isn’t it the FIVE-second rule?

While I’d like to credit my older daughter’s exceptional health to all the instances in which we’ve strengthened her immune system through the consumption of food that has spent less than five seconds on the floor (of our home, of Nordstrom, of Terminal A at Newark Liberty Airport…), I’m realizing that anti-bac is not just hype.  Especially when it’s safe, effective, tidy, and thyme-scented.  In other words, when it’s CleanWell.

We kicked off our CleanWell review campaign at “the Germiest Place on Earth - Disney World.  What better place to test it than there?“  Sure, Disney World is both happy and germy, but “consider how many sneezed-on, germ-encrusted fingertips touch elevator buttons, stair railings, children’s toys in waiting rooms, shopping cart handles, exercise equipment at the gym…“  And while adults usually remember to keep their dirty fingers out of their mouths, kids don’t - especially while they’re eating: “Greasy fries are one thing; germy greasy fries, not so much.

So far, our reviewers have given CleanWell a unanimous thumbs-up.  From the design and packaging - ”the spray pump has a hinged lid, one less thing to lose, and is the perfect purse or briefcase size” - to the scent - “the main note in the fragrance is thyme…it’s fresh, clean, and doesn’t have a heavy floral scent“, they’re sold on the aesthetics as much as the efficacy and ease of use of the product: ”Two pumps, rub dry, and my hands felt wonderfully clean.

Unlike other alcohol-based sanitizers, there’s “no weird gelly feeling that makes you want to go wash your hands (sort of defeats the purpose of the product).”  Plus, since there’s no alcohol, it’s “gentle on the skin“, eliminating that “cracked, scaly skin on your hands” caused by the drying effects of alcohol.

But here’s the kicker:  Kids like it too, which means they won’t fight you when you’re trying to clean them up.  In fact, they might beat you to it: ”One of the mini spray bottles was stolen from me, by my daughter, who keeps it in the front pocket of her lunch cooler. She has become Sanitizer Girl and all the kids gather round for a super squirt before lunch. When the kids want to use it, it’s a gooood thing.”

A very good thing indeed.

Stay tuned for the rest of the CleanWell reviews coming up this week:

Monday, 3/5 - Three Kid Circus
Tuesday, 3/6 - Karianna
Wednesday, 3/7 - Do as I say…and no one gets hurt
Thursday, 3/8 - Mommy’s Must Haves
Friday, 3/9 - GingaJoy

CleanWell Natural Hand Sanitizer Campaign Launch

Friday, February 23rd, 2007

Puddy: “Oh, germ-o-phobe. I know what that’s about.”
Elaine: “Huh?”
Puddy, showing her his necklace: “I’m a recovering germ-o-phobe. Ten years.”
Elaine: “What is this symbol?”
Puddy: “It’s a germ.”

From Seinfeld, Season 9, Episode 9, “The Apology”

Photobucket - Video and Image HostingMaybe we’re not all card-carrying germ-o-phobes like David Puddy, but I’d bet that most parents want to minimize unnecessary exposure.  I remember visiting amusement parks as a child, where my parents would routinely hiss: “Don’t touch that!  Don’t touch that either!  Do NOT put your hands in your mouth!”

We didn’t have hand sanitizer.  We washed our hands when we had the opportunity and used wet wipes in the interim.

Now hand sanitizer is everywhere - public restrooms, supplied by management at workplaces, in our handbags and diaper bags - but there’s a new worry:  Development of highly-resistant bacteria that are immune to the antiseptic chemicals used in hand sanitizer.

CleanWell is a company dedicated to finding a better way to clean.  Ingenium(TM) is the active ingredient in their hand sanitizer, and it’s created from essential plant oils - most notably thyme, which is a natural antiseptic.  CleanWell’s Chief Technology Officer is Dr. Larry Weiss - a Stanford Medical School graduate and a former NIH (National Institutes of Health) fellow.  On the CleanWell web site, he explains in detail the benefits of Ingenium(TM) over traditional alcohol-based sanitizers.  He also has a blog - A Better Way To Clean - which functions as a consumer forum.

For the next two weeks, the Parent Bloggers Network will put CleanWell hand sanitizer to the test - or rather, our children will.  We’ve got a family heading to Disney World, another family that’s so high and dry they refuse to use alcohol-based sanitizer in the winter, and a couple others who have newborns and pre-schoolers in close contact.  Check in daily to see how well CleanWell is working for our parents!

Monday, 2/26 - Builder Mama
Tuesday, 2/27 - Ruth Dynamite
Wednesday, 2/28 - Motherhood Uncensored
Thursday, 3/1 - Mother May I
Friday, 3/2 - Bananas and Toddlers
Monday, 3/5 - Three Kid Circus
Tuesday, 3/6 - Karianna
Wednesday, 3/7 - Do as I say…and no one gets hurt
Thursday, 3/8 - Mommy’s Must Haves
Friday, 3/9 - GingaJoy