Clean hands on the go

It's well known that washing your hands with good old-fashioned soap and water is a great way to help prevent disease. What do you do when that's just not an option? There are plenty of wipes, creams, and sprays lining store shelves that promise to obliterate germs without the addition of running water.

While they're not a substitute for regular hand washing, hand sanitizers can be a valuable second line of defense.

Most of the hand sanitizers on the market are alcohol based. Alcohol is generally safe and effective, according to Sonya Lunder, a senior analyst at Environmental Working Group (EWG), a non-profit organization that has done extensive research on personal care products.

Here are some buying tips:

• Make sure the product you choose does what you want it to. Some are merely hand washes and don't kill germs. Look for products that make efficacy statements and read labels. For those that are alcohol-based there needs to be at least 60 percent alcohol for it to be effective, says Lunder. Don't worry about finding products with organic alcohol. It's not healthier or more effective than conventional alcohol, according to Lunder.

• Not all sanitizers are the same. Some have questionable added ingredients. Lunder suggests avoiding fragrance, parabens, and peg-4. Why? Fragrance can mask the use of toxic or allergenic ingredients. Natural fragrances (like lavender) where you can see biologically-based ingredients listed on the label are a better bet. Parabens are a widely used preservative that raise concerns because of their potential hormone-like activity. There can be potentially harmful impurities in peg-4.

• Choose wipes and creams over sprays if you can. With spraying you run the risk of inhaling some and you don't have as much control over how much you get on your hands, says Lunder.

Two groups have done excellent product research so you don't have to. Check out EWG's Skin Deep Cosmetic Safety Database (which rates hand sanitizers based on safety) and GoodGuide (which rates them based on environmental, social, and health attributes).

I've vetted both lists to find hand sanitizers that score highest on safety and examined labels to determine which are effective at destroying germs. The list below includes some alcohol-free choices for those who find it too harsh and drying.   

• All Terrain Hand Sanz
• CleanWell Natural Hand Sanitizer
• EO Products Hand Sanitizer
• Hands 2go Foaming Instant Hand Sanitizer
• Jao Hand Refresher
• Nexcare Moisturizing Hand Sanitizer