Squeaky Clean, Eco-Friendly Sanitizers

One of the big complaints about today’s hand sanitizers is that they’re petroleum-based and have environmental implications. Responding to these concerns, the new green CleanWell’s travel-friendly hand sanitizing sprays, soaps, wipes and foams are made with renewable plants, most importantly thyme.

Co-founder Dr. Larry Weiss says, “The essential oil from thyme is a key active ingredient in our patented blend of essential oils as it has antiseptic qualities.” While thyme oil takes a long time on its own to kill germs as efficiently and quickly as the FDA requires, Sam DeAth, the other founder of CleanWell Company, uncovered a way to blend thyme oil with other ingredients, resulting in a patented formula that is used in all CleanWell products, he explains. Weiss is a widely published physician and scientist with expertise in the chemistry of natural products, clinical medicine, physiology, infection control and interventional epidemiology (the study of the causes, patterns and prevention of illness).

This first-of-its-kind natural formulation meets FDA standards for 99.99 percent germ-killing efficacy, and is a safe and effective natural alternative to the toxic ingredients found in most antibacterial and sanitizing products. CleanWell products also do not include the controversial ingredient Triclosan, widely used as an antibacterial in household hand-sterilization products. Triclosan has been called an endocrine disruptor, a synthetic chemical that when absorbed into the body either mimics or blocks hormones and disrupts the body’s normal functions. 

CleanWell products are infused with white tea and aloe and are available at Whole Foods Markets, select Target stores, Babies R Us, Vitamin Shoppe, GNC and amazon.com. They range in price from $2.99-$4.99. The company also produces a line of cleaning products that will clean well without annihilating everything in their path. —Denise Shoukas

Denise Shoukas is a regular foodspring.com contributor and is the author of foodspring’s food forager blog.

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