# Hand sanitizer fad at the grade school - is this a thing elsewhere? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [November 25, 2012, 10:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hand-sanitizer-fad-at-the-grade-school-is-this-a-thing-elsewhere/642106 "2012-11-25T22:47:22Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 14\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Unauthorized\_Cinnamon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/bc8723/32.png) [@Unauthorized\_Cinnamon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Unauthorized_Cinnamon)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 2012, 10:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hand-sanitizer-fad-at-the-grade-school-is-this-a-thing-elsewhere/642106/1 "2012-11-25T22:47:22Z")
We’ve done Silly Bandz, Squinkies, Hex Bugs, and so forth over the past few years. But my daughter seems to have captured the leading edge of a new trend in her elementary school: collecting little bottles of hand sanitizer, and fancy holders for them. She begged me to take her to Bath & Body Works, and spent her allowance on 17 bottles of variously scented hand sanitizer, along with a couple winter themed carry cases. She was still slightly dissatisfied because her friend Addy has 50 or something. She has explained to her father that she isn’t buying them to use, per se. It’s clearly about obtaining, collecting, playing with the bottles, and most importantly, bragging about how many and what kind you have. Is this just a local thing, or is it catching fire across the country? I did notice that the Justice store had a bunch of hanitizers and carry cases, so I’m suspecting it’s beyond our little town. In any case, it’s weird. ---
**Author:** ![Curiosity\_Kills\_Her](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/8c91f0/32.png) [@Curiosity\_Kills\_Her](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Curiosity_Kills_Her)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 2012, 11:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hand-sanitizer-fad-at-the-grade-school-is-this-a-thing-elsewhere/642106/2 "2012-11-25T23:38:35Z")
Hm. I wouldn’t say grade school would be worrisome but [have you heard about kids drinking it?](http://abcnews.go.com/blogs/headlines/2012/04/teens-getting-drunk-on-hand-sanitizer/) And yes. It is weird. ---
**Author:** ![Aquadementia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aquadementia/32/555_2.png) [@Aquadementia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aquadementia)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 2012, 11:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hand-sanitizer-fad-at-the-grade-school-is-this-a-thing-elsewhere/642106/3 "2012-11-25T23:48:34Z")
Pre-teen drunks, I don’t think they’ll ever learn to ferment juice boxes. ---
**Author:** ![WhyNot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/c77e96/32.png) [@WhyNot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WhyNot)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 2012, 11:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hand-sanitizer-fad-at-the-grade-school-is-this-a-thing-elsewhere/642106/4 "2012-11-25T23:55:26Z")
My 7 year old doesn’t seem to be too interested in them, and she’s pretty fad-prone. I did get her one in a neat little clip holder that went on her backpack when school started, but it appears to have gotten lost and she hasn’t asked for a new one. So I don’t think it’s a Thing at our (Chicago) school, no. ---
**Author:** ![C3](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/c3/32/3108_2.png) [@C3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/C3)\ **Post date:** [November 26, 2012, 12:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hand-sanitizer-fad-at-the-grade-school-is-this-a-thing-elsewhere/642106/5 "2012-11-26T00:17:19Z")
Not a thing at our school, either. My boys each have one holder and one bottle (that has lasted for a suspiciously long time). I asked if maybe the girls were collecting them. Six year old: “No. Lindsey has some. Just one.” Nine year old: “Who cares what the girls are doing.” ---
**Author:** ![MsRobyn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/90ced4/32.png) [@MsRobyn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MsRobyn)\ **Post date:** [November 26, 2012, 4:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hand-sanitizer-fad-at-the-grade-school-is-this-a-thing-elsewhere/642106/6 "2012-11-26T04:20:48Z")
I haven’t seen it, so I don’t think it’s a thing here. ---
**Author:** ![Lucky\_13](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lucky_13/32/13209_2.png) [@Lucky\_13](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lucky_13)\ **Post date:** [November 26, 2012, 6:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hand-sanitizer-fad-at-the-grade-school-is-this-a-thing-elsewhere/642106/7 "2012-11-26T06:30:35Z")
I asked my daughter, and she says it’s not a fad at her middle school, either. She has one small bottle of generic hand sanitizer in her backpack, given to her by a teacher who noticed she tends to cough and sneeze a lot. The teacher apparently doesn’t know about her allergies. ---
**Author:** ![Grrr](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/grrr/32/146_2.png) [@Grrr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Grrr)\ **Post date:** [November 26, 2012, 6:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hand-sanitizer-fad-at-the-grade-school-is-this-a-thing-elsewhere/642106/8 "2012-11-26T06:53:28Z")
Anybody remember 'Friendship pins"? I guess that was my generation’s answer to Facebook. ---
**Author:** ![akeimi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/f0a364/32.png) [@akeimi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/akeimi)\ **Post date:** [November 26, 2012, 7:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hand-sanitizer-fad-at-the-grade-school-is-this-a-thing-elsewhere/642106/9 "2012-11-26T07:09:50Z")
I don’t find anything weird about it at all! When I was that age (end of grade school, I’m assuming), I bought a lifetime supply of keychains from Claire’s, for the exact same reasons. I didn’t even own keys. ---
**Author:** ![Alessan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alessan/32/465_2.png) [@Alessan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alessan)\ **Post date:** [November 26, 2012, 7:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hand-sanitizer-fad-at-the-grade-school-is-this-a-thing-elsewhere/642106/10 "2012-11-26T07:42:16Z")
My son is 7, and he has no interest in hand sanitizer. Or in soap and water, for that matter. ---
**Author:** ![Unauthorized\_Cinnamon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/bc8723/32.png) [@Unauthorized\_Cinnamon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Unauthorized_Cinnamon)\ **Post date:** [November 26, 2012, 2:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hand-sanitizer-fad-at-the-grade-school-is-this-a-thing-elsewhere/642106/11 "2012-11-26T14:21:15Z")
> [@C3](#): > > Not a thing at our school, either. My boys each have one holder and one bottle (that has lasted for a suspiciously long time). I asked if maybe the girls were collecting them. Six year old: “No. Lindsey has some. Just one.” Nine year old: **“Who cares what the girls are doing.”** 😃 Hmm. I wonder if it’s just something she and a friend have latched onto, or if it’s a school thing. It’s weird, but sure, no weirder than any other fad. I suppose any cheap object available in multiple colors, scents, or permutations has potential to become a kid collectible. (I confess I bought three for myself, one just because it was glittery!) ---
**Author:** ![Ellen\_Cherry](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ellen_cherry/32/3600_2.png) [@Ellen\_Cherry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ellen_Cherry)\ **Post date:** [November 26, 2012, 2:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hand-sanitizer-fad-at-the-grade-school-is-this-a-thing-elsewhere/642106/12 "2012-11-26T14:31:16Z")
I don’t think it’s a thing here, but I have a grade-school boy who is only interested in Minecraft, so I don’t think he is the target audience for this type of fad. Anyway, this brings up a Gripe I have about his elementary school. Apparently they don’t wash their hands any more, they use hand sanitizer before lunch. What about the DIRT? If you squirt alcohol on your hands and rub them together, all you get is dirt-smeared (though bacteria-free) hands. :dubious: ---
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [November 26, 2012, 2:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hand-sanitizer-fad-at-the-grade-school-is-this-a-thing-elsewhere/642106/13 "2012-11-26T14:36:18Z")
It’s because girls need more sanitizer. Because of the cooties. ---
**Author:** ![Edward\_The\_Head](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ce73a5/32.png) [@Edward\_The\_Head](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Edward_The_Head)\ **Post date:** [November 26, 2012, 3:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hand-sanitizer-fad-at-the-grade-school-is-this-a-thing-elsewhere/642106/14 "2012-11-26T15:32:55Z")
> [@Loach](#): > > It’s because girls need more sanitizer. Because of the cooties. And it’s obvious that sanitizers don’t work because they still have them!