Hand Sanitizers - Safe for Jewelry/Gems?

[golden_eyes]

Hello,

I''ve had a curiosity for a while and thought I would ask the jewelry cleaning/damage avoidance experts here...

Are hand sanitizers like Purell gel or Wet Ones sanitizing wipes damaging to jewelry and gems? I know that they would likely leave a residue of some kind, but I''m not sure if they cause any kind of long-term damage. Are there certain stones and/or alloys that could be damaged?

Here are the ingredients in Purell gel...
Active ingredient: Ethyl Alcohol 62%
Inactive ingredients: Water (Aqua), Glycerin, Isopropyl Myristate, Propylene Glycol, Tocopheryl Acetate, Aminomethyl Propanol, Carbomer, Fragrance (Parfum)

And the ingredients in Wet Ones wipes...
Active Ingredients: Benzethonium Chloride (0.30%)
Inactive Ingredients: Water, SD Alcohol 40, Propylene Glycol, Aloe Barbadensis Gel, Glycerin, PEG-60 Lanolin, Disodium Cocoamphodiacetate, Potassium Sorbate, Citric Acid, Disodium EDTA, Fragrance

Thanks for your help!

 

[tanuki]

Just a note of caution about hand sanitizers. As you noted they contain a significant amount of alcohol.

At the hospital where I work a number of areas were equipped with foam hand sanitizers when the information came out that they were as effective as hand washing with antibacterial soap.

Then a notice was posted instructing the staff to be sure to give the alcohol time to dry from your hands before doing something like walking down a carpeted corridor and touching a doorknob.

Because static electricity can cause a spark which can ignite the alcohol.

Which can cause you to suddenly find you have your hand on fire.

 

[Rebemdee]

I work in a hospital and use the gel hand sanitizers, foam hand sanitizers, and the industrial strength hand washing foam. I wear platinum, and occasionally yellow gold rings, and haven''t noticed any damage to my rings. I have noticed that a filmy scratchy layer forms on the rings from the non-rinse sanitizers, so when I have a few minutes I wash my hands and rings in the sink. So far, no problems.

 

[ame]

I haven''t used those since I heard that germs are getting immune to them. Whether or not thats true Id rather not find out. I do bring little wipes though when I need a basket or cart at the store to wipe the hand thing down.

 

[AndyRosse]

I believe the problem is with the ones that contain antibacterial ingredients. They are creating "super germs." However, the alcohol based ones are fine.

 

[Rebemdee]

There is some thought bacteria are becoming resistant to "antibacterial" washes, counter wipes, etc. The sanitizers with alcohol are bactericidal, and kill microorganisms by a variety of mechanisms. The antibacterial washes are bacteriostatic, and inhibit or prevent growth or reproduction of bacteria, with chemicals that interfere with cell wall production, DNA transciption, or protein synthesis. There is debate about whether or not microorganisms are becoming resistant to antibacterial hand washes. Here''s an interesting link:

http://www.cleaning101.com/health/faq.html

Also, a good link regarding how different chemicals kill bacteria:

http://www.infectioncontroltoday.com/articles/191clean.html


The best way to defeat microorganisms is to wash your hands for at least 10-15 seconds, with hot water and plain old fashioned soap!

 

[golden_eyes]

Thanks for all of your replies! No doubt a regular hand washing is the best way to go! I''m just on the go sometimes and like to use Purell or similar before eating if I can''t wash my hands. But I''ve been afraid of damaging my ruby/diamond/plat eternity band...wasn''t sure if the ingredients in the sanitizers would somehow "eat" at my jewelry...

 

[jellybean]

Actually, I would be more concerned about the inactive ingredients (i.e. the glycerin and lanolin) as they are there to make the "gel" thicker and are thus more likely to get stuck in an intricate jewelry setting.