Is Hand Sanitizer OK Overnight In Your Car?

Just about every one of us has some form of hand sanitizer in the car to use after leaving the safe confines of our vehicle. Most of us leave it there overnight.

But now we are in that season where overnight temperatures are cold, and may even approach or dip below the freezing mark. So, is the hand sanitizer still good in those temperatures.

A quick look on the bottle will alarm you , since it recommends storing the hand gel in a cool dry place. Well, what about when it gets below cool? Is that hand gel we leave in the car still effective?

We checked with several sources to try to ease your mind about this, or at least to know whether you should be bringing the hand gel inside at night.

The News Wheel says that one ingredient in many hand gels, ethyl alcohol, freezes at -174 degrees. And even if you're using a cheaper brand, and it does freeze, it will still be effective after melting.

Daily Med says that the hand gel should be stored 59 and 86 degrees and shouldn't be allowed to freeze, but does not specify its effective after freezing.

Touch Free Concepts echoed the ethyl alcohol info that News Wheel stated above They do add that the other ingredients can freeze much faster.

It took a little digging to find this info out, so if you  really want to ease your mind, check with your favorite medical professional. For me, I'm going to be extra cautious and carry it into the house with me each night until I hear some hard evidence that is is just as effective after a cold Jersey Shore night.