Gel, foam, spray or wipes: which hand sanitizer format

All four PURELL formats kill 99.99% of the most common germs that may cause illness. They differ in how they feel, how fast they dry, what they remove and where they live. Here is the short version.

Gel

Gel is the original PURELL format and the one most people picture: clear, 70% ethyl alcohol, four skin conditioners, in a flip-cap or a pump bottle from 1 fl oz to 2 L. It stays on the palm until you spread it, which makes the dose easy to control, and it takes a few seconds longer to dry than foam. Gel is the right choice for the kitchen counter, the office desk, the classroom and the travel bottle, and the 2in1 Moisturizing and Soothing Gel versions carry extra conditioners for hands that sanitize all day.

Foam

Foam is the same formula whipped with air. It spreads thin across both hands, dries fastest, and never feels sticky, which is why dispensers in lobbies and clinics use it: more people use a foam station than a gel one. Foam comes in 10 and 17.4 fl oz pump bottles for the counter and in 1200 mL sealed refills for ES, CS, LTX, TFX, ADX and FMX dispensers. If someone in your house skips sanitizer because of the feel, switch them to foam.

Spray

The spray puts a fine mist over both hands in one pass and dries in seconds, with no rubbing-in a gel needs. It reaches between fingers and around rings, it leaves no residue on a phone or a steering wheel, and the 2 fl oz bottle clears airport security. PURELL sprays come unscented or in essential-oil scents such as lavender, mint and tangerine and pear; the scent fades as the alcohol dries. It is the format for the purse, the car door and the desk drawer.

Hand sanitizing wipes

Hand sanitizing wipes are the only format that cleans. The textured cloth lifts dirt, grease and sticky residue while the alcohol formula kills 99.99% of germs, and it leaves no film, which is why sanitizing wipes get as close to soap and water as a pocket can. Traditional gels and sprays spread the mess around; a wipe removes it. Use hand sanitizing wipes when hands are visibly dirty and a sink is far away: the playground, the picnic table, the gas pump, the car seat after a game. Canisters for the counter, individually wrapped wipes for the pocket, a resealable 20-count pack for the purse, Cottony Soft wipes with simple ingredients for kids' hands, refill pouches for the wall dispenser.

The practical answer

Keep two. A gel or foam at the first stop by the door and in the dispenser at work, and a spray or a resealable pack of hand sanitizing wipes in the bag. Every PURELL format carries at least 70% alcohol, skin-conditioning ingredients and the same germ-kill claim; the format is about the moment, not the strength. And at the sink, HEALTHY SOAP foam finishes what the sanitizing wipes started.