How to Make Your Own Hand Sanitizer
No Purell? No problem!
When disinfecting gel sells out everywhere, you can just make some yourself
with stuff you (maybe) already have at home.
PROPERLY SCRUBBING YOUR hands is one of the
best ways to stop the spread of germs and viruses, and to ensure you don’t get
sick yourself. But if you don't have access to soap and clean water, or if
you're out and about and nowhere near a sink, you should carry hand sanitizer
to protect your health.
As you're no doubt aware,
bottles of hand sanitizer (Purell, Wet Ones, and the like) sell out quickly
during public health crises. But don't worry—making
your own hand sanitizer is remarkably easy. You just have to be careful
you don't mess it
up.
Make sure that the tools you use for mixing are properly
sanitized;
otherwise you could contaminate the whole thing. Also, the World Health
Organization recommends letting your concoction sit for a
minimum of 72 hours after you're done. That way the sanitizer has time to kill
any bacteria that might have been introduced during the mixing process.
(Note: To reiterate,
nothing beats washing your hands. Hand sanitizer—even the
real, professionally made stuff—should always be a last resort.)
We actually have two
recipes for you, and links to find the ingredients. The first is one you can
make with stuff you likely already have in your cabinets and under the sink, so
it's effective in emergency situations. The second recipe is more complex, but
easy to make if you have the opportunity to do some shopping and planning ahead
of time. Another note: a lot of these items are quickly going out of stock
because of high demand. There's a higher chance of finding them at your local
drug store, but your first priority is to stay indoors.
Potency Matters
You’re going to need some
alcohol. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, your
sanitizer mix must be at
least 60 percent alcohol to be effective. But it's better to get way
above that—aim for a minimum of 75 percent. A bottle of 99 percent isopropyl
alcohol is the best thing to use. Your regular vodka and whiskey are too wimpy
and won’t cut it.
The Quick (Gel) Recipe
Mix 3 parts isopropyl
alcohol to 1 part aloe vera gel. Add a few drops of tea tree oil to give it a
pleasant scent and to align your chakras.
The Better (Spray) Recipe
- Isopropyl alcohol
- Glycerol
or glycerin (also here)
- Hydrogen
peroxide (This was the cheapest we could find
available online, but if you find yourself in a drugstore they might have
stock available for less.)
- Distilled water (also here)
- Spray bottle
The aloe mixture gets the
job done, but aloe also leaves your skin annoyingly sticky. So, here's a recipe
that's less sticky and more potent, based on the mix
recommended by the WHO.
Mix 12 fluid ounces of
alcohol with 2 teaspoons of glycerol. You can buy jugs of glycerol online, and
it's an important ingredient because it keeps the alcohol from drying out
your hands. If you can't find glycerol, proceed with the rest of
the recipe anyway and just remember to moisturize your hands after applying the
sanitizer.
Mix in 1 tablespoon of
hydrogen peroxide, then 3 fluid ounces of distilled or boiled (then cooled)
water. (If you're working with a lower-concentration solution of rubbing
alcohol, use far less water; remember, at least ¾ of your final mixture has to
be alcohol.)
Load the solution into
spray bottles—this isn't a gel, it's a spray. You can wet a paper towel with it
as well and use that as a wipe.
If you must, you can add
in a splash of essential oil to your concoction to make it smell nice. Just
don’t use lavender. Everyone else uses lavender, and your sanitizer is
superior.
Link
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