17 Surprising Uses For Hand Sanitizer
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These uses for hand sanitizer are bound to surprise you. Who knew it was so versatile?
It seems like there are hand sanitizer dispensers just about everywhere: on counters at school, on reception desks, and inside the door at the grocery store. Not long ago, I stumbled across a great sale on the stuff, so I stocked up. Wintertime is cold and flu season, after all, and clean hands are the first line of defense.
But having a half-dozen bottles of hand sanitizer at home got me to wondering if there are other ways to use the stuff? It turns out there are!
Surprising Uses for Hand Sanitizer
- Give your phone’s screen a shine with a dab of the stuff on a soft cloth. Chances are good that your phone could use a thorough cleaning.
- Clean your glasses or sunglasses. It eliminates hairspray specks on your specs, too.
- Dab it on a zit. The alcohol in hand sanitizer will dry that thing right up.
- Erase “permanent” markers from whiteboards, clothing, and walls. (Be sure to test in an inconspicuous spot first.)
- Get rid of paint stains on just about any surface, including paintbrushes.
- Remove sticky residue from labels.
- Stop mosquito bites from itching. Really!
- Disinfect your makeup brushes after washing them — rub a little hand sanitizer in the bristles and allow them to air dry. (Related: How to Clean Brushes of Any Kind.)
- Deodorant substitute: wipe it on and let it dry. Don’t do this on freshly-shaved pits, though.
- Clean car mirrors and windows in a pinch. (Bonus: it will prevent frost and fogging!)
- Disinfect minor wounds for quick first-aid.
- Get sticky Christmas tree sap off your hands and other surfaces.
- Clean the spills on child car seats.
- Treat greasy stains before washing clothes, including chocolate stains in a pinch.. (Use unscented, uncolored sanitizer for this.)
- Clean dusty candles: wipe on then wipe away the dust.
- Get fingerprints off stainless steel. Yep, even your refrigerator!
- Remove food stains on microfiber furniture. Spot test in an inconspicuous place first, of course.
So, go ahead and tuck a bottle into your purse: with all the uses for hand sanitizer, it’s worth having some with you at all times.
I am trying to figure this mystery out somehow my hand sanitizer bottle got left open I grabbed him squeezing my hand not working when I look down to go to work them together my hand was full of flies or these so-called fruit flies you know the ones that are little orange and yellow tinted-ish. Why in the heck are they filling it up? What is making them fly in it??! Eww gross flipped me out when my palm was full of them dead like that ohh gosh.
Thanks – my daughter gets nosebleeds often so I always have extra hand sanitizer and this article taught me some more things I could do with it!
Glad to be of help!
How can you Clean stained pillow cases?
Hi Pam,
Here’s how to clean grimy pillowcases, including stained ones.
Just cleaned baseboards that were caked from many years of dust and grime in an old house we are renting. Amazing!
Hi WEM,
So glad to hear it!
Just tried the candle dusting tip. Honestly, amazing. Changed my life! You should see my candle collection now. Like the day they were brought home from the store. Thanks a million 🙂
I’m glad to hear it, Willy! Be sure to let them dry completely before lighting, and enjoy. 🙂
Any substitute of Alcohol please ?
No. This isn’t the kind of alcohol you drink; it’s isopropyl alcohol, the kind used to sterilize surgical equipment. That’s what hand sanitizer is made from.
We keep a bottle handy by the secateurs so I can sanitizer them in between plants and prevent disease from spreading 🙂
That’s very smart, Mummy Pig!
This is awesome. I always forget to bring my hand sanitisers and ended up buying new ones. I now have too many bottles laying around the house. Good to know I can put it to so many good use beside cleaning hands. Thanks!