My hands have never been drier than in the spring of 2020, when I, like many of us, was using way too much hand sanitizer. Rubbing my hands with this clear gel became a compulsion of mine after touching grocery store carts and doorknobs. Add the fact that I was using chalk on my hands most weekdays for rock climbing — they were dried out to the max.
A few weeks into the pandemic, I’d received some samples of Rock Doctor’s Soap in Seconds, which is water and soap, compressed in a can. I was skeptical, but decided to use it after long outdoor climbing sessions. My hands are always coated in dirt and chalk, and the hand sanitizer I kept in my car could never fully get rid of all the grime. But the can’s foamy spray allowed me to effectively wash my hands and rid them of germs like I would at a sink, minus the running water. Because while hand sanitizer does kill certain germs, washing your hands is a more effective way to clean them. With just one spray (each can has about 250 washes, according to the brand), my hands are squeaky clean, and never feel sapped of moisture like they do after using alcohol-heavy sanitizer. The foam eventually liquifies, and my hands are a little wet, but I just wipe them off with a towel.
I now stash multiple cans in my car, camping bin, and climbing bag. I keep a can with my bike gear at home too, so if my hands get dirty from changing a tube or cleaning my chain, I can just spray it on my hands instead of mucking up the kitchen sink with greasy residue. My friends are tired of hearing my pitch on this (especially when we’re camping), mainly because they are already convinced by how effective it is. “It really is just soap and water!” I’ll say, like I’m presenting it on QVC. But I won’t stop talking about it. It’s such a simple, effective way to keep your hands clean. I only wish Rock Doctor made a more portable version — it would certainly replace all of the tiny bottles of hand sanitizer I have in my backpack.
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