Hand Sanitizer

[mathieml]

Hello,

My 13 year old daughter was just diagnosed with Celiac. What do people use for hand sanitizers? I called Purell and they would not confirm that it is gluten free. It appears that Bath and Body Works is also not gluten free.

Thanks!

[notme]

soap and water.  learned that my first camping trip   hand sanitizer is made of grain alcohol.  also, if you're handling anything wheat-y, (like fixing hotdogs on buns for the kids...   ) the hand sanitizer will only spread the gluten around and you'll just have really super sanitized gluten...  same thing with clorox wipes.

if she can get to soap and water, that's her best bet.  i used to worry about what brand soap and you can go crazy trying to research every different brand that facilities use, but just make sure she rinses really well.  soaps have a rinsing agent that makes it easy to get it all off.   one of my best friends is addicted to bath and body works and that's the only soap she has at her house and i use it, no problem.    i just rinse really well.

[mathieml]

Ok, thanks. She used to use hand sanitizer every day at school. She kept it in her locker and used it between classes and before lunch. She says she doesn't have time to wash hands between classes or before lunch (and I just know she won't). So, now the question is...is she better off not using anything and eating lunch with dirty hands, or should she go ahead and use Purell and just be careful not to touch her mouth or food until it dries?

[squirmingitch]

It makes no difference. If she won't wash her hands with soap & water before she eats then whatever she touches & then eats is like she's eating whatever she touched. Purell will NOT get rid of gluten! Purell is a sanitizer NOT a wash. You can't kill gluten, you can only wash it off. I

It will not matter if the Purell is wet or dry, she will still have gluten hands if she touched gluten.

[mathieml]

I know Purell will not get rid of gluten. I was actually talking about riding her hands of germs (colds, flu, etc.).

There must be a lot of confusion regarding whether Purell is gluten free though because I found some websites that say it is actually gluten free (for example Open Original Shared Link) Also, some celiacs have said they use it without problems, so I'm very confused about this.

[kareng]

17 minutes ago, mathieml said:

I know Purell will not get rid of gluten. I was actually talking about riding her hands of germs (colds, flu, etc.).

There must be a lot of confusion regarding whether Purell is gluten free though because I found some websites that say it is actually gluten free (for example Open Original Shared Link) Also, some celiacs have said they use it without problems, so I'm very confused about this.

What are the ingredients?  Last I read them, there was no wheat germ oil or anything like that.  If The Patient Celiac uses it, I would, too.  

 

Many companies do not want to take the expense of testing products.  They will not " guarantee" it is gluten free because thier lawyers tell them not to.  That does not mean it is not gluten-free.  

[StephanieL]

If she's unwilling to wash then the second option would be a wet wipe (we use Wet-Ones unscented).  The detergents and physical action of wiping on the wet one will remove proteins.   Again, washing is best but wet-ones are n second option. 

 

*this is based on the same principal that it removes peanut butter and oils from hands of those who rubbed it all over their hands and then tested for the presents of it. 

[mathieml]

10 minutes ago, kareng said:

What are the ingredients?  Last I read them, there was no wheat germ oil or anything like that.  If The Patient Celiac uses it, I would, too.  

 

Many companies do not want to take the expense of testing products.  They will not " guarantee" it is gluten free because thier lawyers tell them not to.  That does not mean it is not gluten-free.  

The ingredients are:

Water, isopropyl alcohol, caprylyl glycol, glycerin, isopropyl myristate, tocopheyl acetate, acrylates/c10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer, aminomethyl propanol, fragrance

I'm new to all of this.  My daughter was just diagnosed on Friday and I'm extremely overwhelmed. We immediately switched her to gluten free and I have spent the last few days looking over ingredients of everything and trying to figure out what to do. It seems like half of the food in our house has ingredients that I have never heard of and have no idea if they have gluten or not. I just found out that our shredded cheese might have gluten (powdered cellulose) and I thought cheese was safe. My daughter still isn't feeling any better and I'm beyond stressed out.

[cyclinglady]

We use Purell or Hand Rx (which is made in the USA by Blue Cross Laboratories in Santa Clarita).  Bought a huge bottle of it at Big Lots and I refill the cute little Purell bottles to save on cash.  I just read the ingredients to insure that gluten is not included.  

However, I ALWAYS wash with soap and water before I eat.  Can't always do that while running errand or  on long bike ride (nothing like bike grease and grime on your fingers).   That's when I eat a cereal type bar, peanut butter pack, banana, squeeze applesauce, etc.  Anything I can consume without actually touching my food.  Maybe that will work with your daughter or  she can be like the characters from  Downton Abbey, they never eat with their fingers!  They always use proper utensils.  

Oh, the Patient Celiac is great!  That's one blog I trust.   

 

 

[mathieml]

15 minutes ago, StephanieL said:

If she's unwilling to wash then the second option would be a wet wipe (we use Wet-Ones unscented).  The detergents and physical action of wiping on the wet one will remove proteins.   Again, washing is best but wet-ones are n second option. 

 

*this is based on the same principal that it removes peanut butter and oils from hands of those who rubbed it all over their hands and then tested for the presents of it. 

I will talk to her about finding the time to wash her hands, but she's in middle school and I honestly don't think she will. None of those kids wash their hands. That's why I was having her use the hand sanitizer. Also, she definitely wouldn't have time to wash hands between classes, since they only have about 4 minutes.

That's a good idea about the wet wipes. I wonder if those have gluten in them.

 

[kareng]

13 minutes ago, mathieml said:

The ingredients are:

Water, isopropyl alcohol, caprylyl glycol, glycerin, isopropyl myristate, tocopheyl acetate, acrylates/c10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer, aminomethyl propanol, fragrance

I'm new to all of this.  My daughter was just diagnosed on Friday and I'm extremely overwhelmed. We immediately switched her to gluten free and I have spent the last few days looking over ingredients of everything and trying to figure out what to do. It seems like half of the food in our house has ingredients that I have never heard of and have no idea if they have gluten or not. I just found out that our shredded cheese might have gluten (powdered cellulose) and I thought cheese was safe. My daughter still isn't feeling any better and I'm beyond stressed out.

Shredded cellulose isn't gluten.  In the US, if it is made from wheat, it must be labelled in food.  Rye is rare and will be an ingredient in crackers or bread you wouldn't have anyway,  because of the wheat in them.  Barley is an ingredient they love to call out in food but may be listed as " malt" usually " barley malt".  

 

Reqd ad the Newbie 101 thread for a bit of help.

 

 

[kareng]

Something I just caught - why does she need to wash her hands between each class?  Is this just your own personal " germ" issue?   She shouldn't be getting gluten on her hands in every class.

[mathieml]

6 minutes ago, kareng said:

Shredded cellulose isn't gluten.  In the US, if it is made from wheat, it must be labelled in food.  Rye is rare and will be an ingredient in crackers or bread you wouldn't have anyway,  because of the wheat in them.  Barley is an ingredient they love to call out in food but may be listed as " malt" usually " barley malt".  

 

Reqd ad the Newbie 101 thread for a bit of help.

When I called the cheese company (Kraft) and asked what their Shredded cellulose was made of they said it was "plant based" and that's all they would say. They would not confirm if it was wheat, rye, or barley.

It's good to know that wheat has be be listed. I wish they would do the same with rye and barley.

I will read the newbie thread. Thanks!

[kareng]

6 minutes ago, mathieml said:

When I called the cheese company (Kraft) and asked what their Shredded cellulose was made of they said it was "plant based" and that's all they would say. They would not confirm if it was wheat, rye, or barley.

It's good to know that wheat has be be listed. I wish they would do the same with rye and barley.

I will read the newbie thread. Thanks!

But what I am trying to say is - rye is in almost nothing.  And you wouldn't give it to her because it's wheat based bread.  And they legally have to list ingredients, anyway.  Barley will be listed , because they are proud of it and it's an ingredient.  Honestly, companies, especially the big companies like Kraft, will clearly label ingredients.  Chemicals are chemicals.  They aren't wheat protein even if they somehow started as wheat.  

 

we use Kraft shredded cheeses and other brands, with no issues.  If it bugs you, just get a chunk of cheese and grate it yourself.  That's is what I usually do because I like the taste better.  

[mathieml]

19 minutes ago, cyclinglady said:

We use Purell or Hand Rx (which is made in the USA by Blue Cross Laboratories in Santa Clarita).  Bought a huge bottle of it at Big Lots and I refill the cute little Purell bottles to save on cash.  I just read the ingredients to insure that gluten is not included.  

However, I ALWAYS wash with soap and water before I eat.  Can't always do that while running errand or  on long bike ride (nothing like bike grease and grime on your fingers).   That's when I eat a cereal type bar, peanut butter pack, banana, squeeze applesauce, etc.  Anything I can consume without actually touching my food.  Maybe that will work with your daughter or  she can be like the characters from  Downton Abbey, they never eat with their fingers!  They always use proper utensils.  

Oh, the Patient Celiac is great!  That's one blog I trust.   

 

 

Thanks for the info!

Good to know that someone uses Purell without any problems. I think I will have her use it between classes and then use wet wipes when she stops at her locker before lunch. I will reiterate the importance of washing her hands too, but she will probably roll her eyes at me.

[kareng]

And, to be technical - cellulose is not the protein in the seed of the plant.  For our purposes,  gluten is the protein found in the seed of wheat, rye or barley.  

 

 

[mathieml]

13 minutes ago, kareng said:

Something I just caught - why does she need to wash her hands between each class?  Is this just your own personal " germ" issue?   She shouldn't be getting gluten on her hands in every class.

No, she used hand sanitizer between classes to avoid germs. Not all classes, just a couple times a day and before lunch. She was getting colds, so we were having her do that and it helped last year.

[cyclinglady]

16 minutes ago, mathieml said:

When I called the cheese company (Kraft) and asked what their Shredded cellulose was made of they said it was "plant based" and that's all they would say. They would not confirm if it was wheat, rye, or barley.

It's good to know that wheat has be be listed. I wish they would do the same with rye and barley.

I will read the newbie thread. Thanks!

"Plant based" is code for wood pulp.  So, while safe to consume, my kid and hubby sadly prefer freshly grated cheese.  Guess who gets to grate?  I have purchased Kraft cheese in a pinch (saved my fingers......) and have not been glutened.  

[kareng]

1 minute ago, mathieml said:

No, she used hand sanitizer between classes to avoid germs. Not all classes, just a couple times a day and before lunch. She was getting colds, so we were having her do that and it helped last year.

I think a lot of comments were about getting gluten off of hands.  Maybe people misunderstood.  A hand sanitizer won't remove any dirt or gluten, but it might kill some of the "germs"  that are present.  

[kareng]

1 minute ago, cyclinglady said:

"Plant based" is code for wood pulp.  So, while safe to consume, my kid and hubby sadly prefer freshly grated cheese.  Guess who gets to grate?  I have purchased Kraft cheese in a pinch (saved my fingers......) and have not been glutened.  

That's a husband job!  Lol   I usually grate but sometimes it's nice to have the convience.  

[cyclinglady]

21 minutes ago, mathieml said:

Thanks for the info!

Good to know that someone uses Purell without any problems. I think I will have her use it between classes and then use wet wipes when she stops at her locker before lunch. I will reiterate the importance of washing her hands too, but she will probably roll her eyes at me.

Oh, no worries.  Just wait until she's rolling on the bathroom floor after a gluten exposure.  Everyone needs to learn at their own pace.  Most have to learn the hard way.  I had no clue until I was glutened well after my diagnosis.  I was just anemic, no tummy issues at all when I was diagnosed.  But my symptoms changed once I went gluten free -- yep, I've laid on that bathroom floor!   Yikes!  I get the teen thing too .  Mine is 15.  

[cyclinglady]

6 minutes ago, kareng said:

I think a lot of comments were about getting gluten off of hands.  Maybe people misunderstood.  A hand sanitizer won't remove any dirt or gluten, but it might kill some of the "germs"  that are present.  

Excellent point!  Hand sanitizer is not going to remove gluten, tha's for sure!  

 

[mathieml]

1 minute ago, cyclinglady said:

Oh, no worries.  Just wait until she's rolling on the bathroom floor after a gluten exposure.  Everyone needs to learn at their own pace.  Most have to learn the hard way.  I had no clue until I was glutened well after my diagnosis.  I was just anemic, no tummy issues at all when I was diagnosed.  But my symptoms changed once I went gluten free -- yep, I've laid on that bathroom floor!   Yikes!  

Oh, no! How long were you sick after being glutened?

My daughter already has constant nausea, so she probably doesn't think she could feel much worse. She is a pretty tough kid. She was sick because of this disease most of the past year and only missed about 2 days of school (and those were for doctor appointments). The doctors could not figure out what was wrong and originally diagnosed her with anxiety. So she's been suffering for months and everyone kept telling her it was anxiety. Poor kid.

[cyclinglady]

2 minutes ago, mathieml said:

Oh, no! How long were you sick after being glutened?

My daughter already has constant nausea, so she probably doesn't think she could feel much worse. She is a pretty tough kid. She was sick because of this disease most of the past year and only missed about 2 days of school (and those were for doctor appointments). The doctors could not figure out what was wrong and originally diagnosed her with anxiety. So she's been suffering for months and everyone kept telling her it was anxiety. Poor kid.

Everyone responds differently (days, weeks months, years), but the consensus here seems to be that the longer you are away from gluten, symptoms tend to get worse when you get an accidental exposure.  Your daughter is young, so she should recover faster than an adult, but there's a steep learning curve to the gluten-free diet and that usually delays healing.  

I am sorry that she has celiac disease.  My niece (19 years old) was just diagnosed with Crohn's.  I thought and hoped it would be celiac disease, but it was not.  AI disorders are a life changer, that's for sure.  

This is a lot for you as a Mom.  Learn all that you can.  Stick to simple ingredients, and then you won't worry so much.  

It sounds like the wipes are your best bet (or just a wet papertowel in a ziploc sandwich bag).  I tried to get my kid to use santitizer, but it didn't matter as she got a cold the second week of school.  She really can't afford to get sick with six academic classes.  But that's life!  

Be sure that you and her father get tested -- siblings too.  This is one AI disorder that is proven to be genetic and no symptoms are required!  

[cyclinglady]

1 hour ago, mathieml said:

The ingredients are:

Water, isopropyl alcohol, caprylyl glycol, glycerin, isopropyl myristate, tocopheyl acetate, acrylates/c10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer, aminomethyl propanol, fragrance

I'm new to all of this.  My daughter was just diagnosed on Friday and I'm extremely overwhelmed. We immediately switched her to gluten free and I have spent the last few days looking over ingredients of everything and trying to figure out what to do. It seems like half of the food in our house has ingredients that I have never heard of and have no idea if they have gluten or not. I just found out that our shredded cheese might have gluten (powdered cellulose) and I thought cheese was safe. My daughter still isn't feeling any better and I'm beyond stressed out.

Here's the deal....I would be worried a bit about this ingredient: tocopheyl acetate.  Here's more information from a very reputable site:

Open Original Shared Link  

When I am in the grocery store or Target, I don't have time to look up everything. Ever try to read a shampoo bottle? Heck, understand the ingredients and be able to read the tiny print?    I try to stick to simple ingredients.  So, I do buy Purell, but not the fancy ones and usually the cheaper no name brands (university tuition is looming ahead).    My bottle states:  Ethyl Alcohol, water, glycerin, proplene glycol, caromer.  No gluten.  Nothing even close to disputing.  But it doesn't really matter to me personally, because I always wash my hands before eating, so I should never be glutened by a santizier.   Besides others here have lived to tell their tales about Purell and I trust other celiacs. 

Give yourself some time to take all this in.  Changing hand lotions, lipsticks, cutting boards, toasters, can all be overwhelming (the list goes on).