In search of bulk drum of hand sanitizer near Seattle, WA

September 26, 2012 10:03 AM

Where can I buy hand sanitizer in bulk near Seattle, WA? Ideal size would be a 15-30 gallon drum. Ideal price would be under $150.

This is for a gag gift, and having it in a drum (as opposed to several smaller bottles) would be best.

posted by reeddavid to shopping (12 answers total)

hmmm...hand sanitizer might get expensive...why dont you just look for a big drum of something cheap, or an empty, but ridiculously huge, drum (like a 55-gallon oil drum or giant barrel) and just slap a label on it? you could scan the label off a small container and just blow it up... (dont forget to change 8 fl oz to oh 7040 fl oz for a 55 gal container...)
you could even attach a pump to the drum, or, better yet, conceal a small container of HS inside with the pump sticking out...so it 'really works'
posted by sexyrobot at 10:16 AM on September 26, 2012 [3 favorites]

I think a cash and carry food service/restaurant supply store would be your best bet (I don't have a specific Seattle rec). Or possibly a medical supply company (they're usually located near the hospitals). But I think most hand sanitizer dispensers take a cartridge (like, you don't refill them from a drum/larger bottle), so sexyrobot's suggestion might be better.
posted by mskyle at 10:28 AM on September 26, 2012

You can get a nice plastic garbage can at Home Depot. Then mock up a fake label. Total cost: $8

You can throw a few bottles of the stuff in there if you want. But this gag gift would be nice because then the garbage can can actually be used.
posted by Ruthless Bunny at 10:30 AM on September 26, 2012

(also...15-30gal or larger is HUGE...like kitchen/outdoor garbage can huge...and will weigh a ton(!) if completely filled with goo...which is not to say that I discourage the drama of it, just that you will probably need a hand truck/forklift/some seriously burly dudes to transport it...)
posted by sexyrobot at 10:30 AM on September 26, 2012 [1 favorite]

I'm seeing 5 gallon pails as a refill size. Searching using those terms brings up a bunch of results.

Would five gallons be huge enough to make it a gag gift?
posted by sciencegeek at 10:57 AM on September 26, 2012 [1 favorite]

You could also craigslist around for empty barrels.
posted by tilde at 11:32 AM on September 26, 2012

Here's 8 Liters for $83. 8 liters is roughly 2 gallons. I think that the mock up is going to be a much better approach and more likely to be in your price range.
posted by Jacob G at 11:43 AM on September 26, 2012

Ruthless Bunny– We got a 55 gallon drum from the car dealership next door. We're going to try to fit a 1-gallon pump bottle inside the barrel with the pump sticking out.
posted by reeddavid at 12:30 PM on September 26, 2012

Yeah, came in to suggest just mounting a smaller pump/dispenser inside a barrel. A 30-gallon drum of gear oil weighs 250+ pounds; even if you could find a 30-gallon drum of sanitizer in your price range (doubtful), it'd be a pain to move.
posted by xedrik at 12:57 PM on September 26, 2012

Industrial Drum Pumps - easier than rigging the 1 gallon bottle inside the drum.
posted by sarajane at 1:34 PM on September 26, 2012

An easy way to fit the one gallon pump bottle in the drum would be to fill with recycled cardboard boxes and styrofoam packing material leaving a bottle size cavity. If you over fill the drum slightly (like say enough packing peanuts that someone has to sit on the lid to get the retaining clamp on) the bottle won't be able to move yet will be easily removable.
posted by Mitheral at 2:49 PM on September 26, 2012

For anyone following along, we built a push pump into one of the drum's two small threaded caps, then filled a gallon freezer bag with sanitizer and used the threaded cap to secure it in place just under the top of the drum. We also filled the drum about 1/3 with water. We have a large Purell logo being printed for the outside. Looks and works awesome. Thanks all!
posted by reeddavid at 9:32 AM on September 28, 2012 [1 favorite]