5 surprising uses for hand sanitizer besides cleaning your hands

It’s clear the best way to get rid of germs is by using hand sanitizer, but there are actually different uses for hand sanitizer besides cleaning your hands.

Yes, we know you’re used to spraying the soap-like gel onto your hands at the doctors or in your car — you know if you have the mini ones — but now you can use your hand sanitizer for much more.

Now that we’re well into flu season, you should have hand sanitizer with you at all times, so why not get more bang for your buck? Here are five other things you can use this on-the-go product for that you might not’ve thought of. Don’t worry, we had no idea either!

1Deodorizing:

It doesn’t matter what object you need to deodorize, because hand sanitizer has you covered. Co-founder of EO Products, Susan Griffin-Black told Hello Giggles to always do a test patch when using this on new items, so the color isn’t affected. That being said, grab those old shoes, your gross yoga mat or anything that just smells and get to work.

2Blemishes:

The next time you feel a blemish coming on, it’s time to use your hand sanitizer. Okay, we know this sounds insane, but according to Griffin-Black it works. “I dab a little Lavender Hand Sanitizer on the spot,” she explained. “The combination of alcohol and Lavender seems to calm and correct.” Who knew?

3Deodorant:

You can use any of EO Product’s sanitizers to refresh your personal odor anytime you’re in a jam. We wouldn’t recommend switching out your daily scent of cucumber melon, but in a pinch this can save the day.

4Messes:

All you need is a spritz of sanitizer and a spilled cup of coffee, a gross car cupholder, or just a dirty desk, can be as good as new. Griffin-Black does recommend you do a test spot before going full-on cleaning mode, because you wouldn’t want to ruin any of your sweaters or car seats, or whatever you’re spritzing.

5Glass:

Last but not least, hand sanitizer can be used to clean away smudges on glass surfaces. Yes, this means your precious iPhone or computer screen can be smudge free with a simple spray and wipe. Oh, and you could use it on your actual windows as well, which is pretty impressive.

Now that you know how versatile hand sanitizer can be, maybe you won’t toss out the ones you get in your stocking from Santa this year.