The Story of Purell–A Verb and a Noun

It's now one of the most well-known products in world history, but it hasn't really been around that long: Purell.

I love Purell or any other product that boasts germ fighting properties. Often times Shirley and I will always have a small bottle of hand sanitizer with us when we venture into public areas like restaurants. I've seen too many dudes depart the restroom after taking care of business only to bypass the soap and water as they make their way back to their table. When you think about it, we are handling the same menus those guys are. We're also touching the same door handles, table surfaces, etc. Gross, huh?

Inevitably, after handing the menu, I'll ask Shirley for some 'Purell,' even though it might be another brand. Purell, like Kleenex and Q-Tips, have established themselves are the generic name brand of the hand sanitizer world. Think about about it--what other hand sanitizer brand can you name off the top of your head?

But Purell's path to success was labor intensive. It certainly didn't happen over night.

Here's the story. Click the pic...