Hand Sprays in the Pandemic

21-01-24 00 / episode: 370

Handspray use literally exploded in consumption with the advent of the coronavirus pandemic.

Almost overnight it seemed sales went up and there were all sorts of things that happened in connection with that.

Hi and welcome to the Les Perras podcast episode number 370.

Today I want to talk about hand sprays in the context of the corona virus pandemic.

Contagious

At the beginning of the coronavirus pandemic, people were worried about how this virus was being transmitted.

Of course the first thing we thought was dirty hands because that's how the common cold is transmitted,

and there are certain limited similarities between the coronavirus and the common cold.

So stop the spread

So people decided that we've got to keep our hands clean in order to stop spreading this disease.

Of course, we can wash our hands, but there are problems with using soap and water. One of the problems is that your skin dries out.

Another problem is that you need access to a sink and towels.

Then there's the thought of the environment, because now you have to provide a lot more clean water and you also have to launder the towels.

BUT How do you do it

So another way to clean your hands is to use hand sanitizers.

These have been around for a long time.

They've been used in hospitals and car garages.

The car garage type usually is more of a hand cleaner than a sanitizer, but some of the ingredients are similar.

The next thing is, are you going to use a gel or a spray?

And a lot of people started using sprays. That brings us to the next point. .

Then Everyone Bought them

When everybody started using spray, they needed to get them so they all ran out to the stores and bought them.

When the stores ran out, they went online and they started buying them online.

And then the online stores ran out of stock too.

So demand soared

Prices soared now with demand soaring and supply not keeping up, So we had a problem.

The problem is that people are more willing to pay higher prices.

Then other people are willing to charge higher prices.

This cycle continues until we end up with price gouging.

At one point a bottle of hand sanitizer that normally cost $2.50 was selling for $90 during the pandemic.

So They stopped it

Then the authorities stepped in.

They recognized the price gouging and stopped it.

They made exorbitant prices for these products illegal and prevented people from selling them at those crazy prices.

Then production increased

After a while, production started to kick in, and they were able to make more of the alcohols that we use in these hand sanitizers.

It took quite a while in fact.

I remember that I needed alcohol for cleaning my classroom and in fact I had to look around for about three weeks before I could find a supply.

Even after that, the supply was irregular.

Now

Now people are used to hand sanitizers.

Many people still carry a portable supply in a small bottle with them.

Others see the hand sanitizer when they walk into a business establishment and use it regularly.

Most people prefer the hand sanitizers to soap and water because it's easier on your skin. Myself, I am relieved at the use of hand sanitizers because they're safer on the environment than using soap and water many times a day.

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