Every decade has its iconic products - the sixties had mini skirts, the seventies had bouncy orange spacehoppers, the eighties had legwarmers and batwing jumpers ... I wouldn't be at all surprised if, in years to come, people look back at the noughties and declare their cult product to be hand sanitisers. Ever since the outbreak of swine flu and MRSA, new brands of hand sanitisers seem to be popping up all over the place. Just on this humble little blog, I've been sent various samples of sanitisers to test and they all have their unique selling point - Radox (well-known company), Bentley Organic (the greener option), Hands First (for really dirty hands) and now this new range from B-Safe.
As with pretty much all hand sanitizers, the B-Safe and Kidz Safe products promise to kill 99.9% of germs, including influenza viruses, e coli, listeria, gastroenteritis and streptococci. So what is their unique selling point ? Well, to quote the press release, "So how are B-Safe and Kidz Safe different to other hand santisers? Its simple …. they offer all the power to protect as their competitors, but don’t contain alcohol so won’t dry the skin and are less likely to irritate skin conditions like eczema. Instead the range contains a powerful detergent that does the job quickly and effectively but won’t sting when applied and is kinder to the skin." Ever since receiving a warning email (and I'm still not sure if it's a hoax or not !) about kids being hospitalised for alcohol poisoning after repeatedly licking their hands after using alcohol-based hand sanitizers, I have been wary about the use of alcohol in this kind of products, so their stance is reassuring. Especially as I just grabbed the bottle of Radox hand sanitizer that is currently next to the computer and was surprised to see that the top ingredient on the list is indeed "Alcohol Denat." - hmmm.
However, I personally would say that the unique selling point for B-Safe and Kidz Safe is the choice of different formats and perfumes available. One of the germ hotspots in our house that I never really know how to clean is the computer keyboard. I've seen all the newspaper and TV reports, like this one from the BBC, that have horror headlines like : "Out of 33 keyboards swabbed, four were regarded as a potential health hazard and one harboured five times more germs than one of the office's toilet seats", but I always think that if I spray liquid hand or surface sanitizer on it, I'll probably make the keys stick or the computer short-circuit or something. Well, the B-Safe anti-bacterial wipes do the job perfectly, clearing away the dirty sticky fingerprints and stuck on gunk or dust but, more importantly, giving me the reassurance that they've killed 99.9% of the invisible harmful bacteria too. The wipes are very resistant and not overly wet, which is what I was worried about when using them on electronic-related devices like computers, DS-Lites, remote controls, etc. I did have to use several wipes to get the whole keyboard totally clean so I would have liked them to be a bit bigger, but the handy resealable pack of 25 wipes is now permanently next to the computer keyboard for a quick wipe every now and then to keep the germs at bay.
I also like the fact that the sanitizer sprays are 2-in-1 products, for hands and surfaces alike. All of the other sanitising products I've had to test have been for one or the other, not both, so I like the fact that you only need to buy one product, which is a kinder option for the planet (less packaging), for your purse and also for the kitchen cupboard which doesn't get so cluttered. The B-Safe Bacterial Cleanser Spray does the job perfectly, totally disappearing with no greasy or unpleasant residue in just a few seconds, leaving a pleasant delicate scent, but it didn't jump out as me as a particularly memorable product. The two child-friendly versions however did strike me as particularly appealing, and not just for kids ! The Kidz Safe products offer the same alcohol-free formula and germ-busting promises and I love the fresh, zingy but not overpowering apple and cherry scents.
As they come in 100ml bottles, which are larger than many of the handbag-sized sanitizers on the market, I would personally say that the sprays are better suited for use around the home than on the move. However, the antibacterial wipes can easily be stashed in a handbag or glovebox for when you're out and about. I wonder if the little old ladies who painstakingly cover public toilet seats in strips of toilet paper so that they "don't catch anything" would now go high-tech and have a quick wipe with a sanitizer instead. I'm sure it would be a lot more efficient anyway !!
star rating : 5/5
No comments:
Post a Comment