We can’t deny the effectiveness of hand washing when it comes to preventing the spread of infectious disease like COVID-19, but soap and water are not always available. Alcohol-based hand sanitizer, which contains at least 60% alcohol, is the next best option. Before the COVID-19 outbreak, hand sanitizer was readily available in stores and pharmacies. Rather than letting anxiety levels skyrocket because you can’t buy hand sanitizer, make your own instead.
You don’t need to panic if your favorite disinfectant products or hand sanitizer is not available in stores because you can easily make your own. For example, click here if you want to make a homemade disinfectant spray. Unless you stockpiled hand sanitizer, which you should not do, chances are that you need the recipe in this article.
A Word About Hand Sanitizers
It is imperative that you understand that hand sanitizers should not take the place of hand washing. Alcohol-based disinfectants like hand sanitizer are effective in a pinch. Obviously, a sink with soap and water is not always within reach, but a good old-fashioned scrub is the best way to protect yourself against contagious diseases. When you do use hand sanitizer, make sure to rub your hands together for 25-30 seconds.
Are DIY Hand Sanitizers Safe?
Given that there are so many DIY hand sanitizer recipes all over the internet, it is valid to wonder if they are in fact safe to use. One thing to keep in mind is that a DIY recipe must contain isopropyl alcohol with 91-99% alcohol content. If the alcohol percentage in a hand sanitizer recipe is below 60%, then it isn’t effective at killing germs. According to the hand sanitizer recipe on the World Health Organization’s website, it is closer to a liquid gel. It can be a little harsh on the hands if you have sensitive skin. Click here if you want hand sanitizer recipes that are gentler on the skin. Note that the recipes in that link do not meet the CDC’s 60% alcohol content benchmark.
Hand Sanitizer Recipe
The World Health Organization (WHO) approves this recipe, but we’ve reduced the amounts of each ingredient. The reason for this is because the recipe on the WHO website results in 2.6 gallons of hand sanitizer. We figured that you don’t need that much, so start off with the following amount and see if you like it.
Ingredients:
- 1 cup 99% isopropyl alcohol
- 1 tablespoon 3% hydrogen peroxide
- 1 teaspoon 98% glycerin
- ¼ cup distilled water
Instructions:
- Pour the alcohol into a medium-sized measuring cup that has a pour spout.
- Add the hydrogen peroxide and give it a gentle stir before pouring the glycerin into the mixture. Because glycerin is thicker, it will take time to combine everything. Get your whisking muscles ready for action because you’ll need them.
- Pour in the distilled water and stir to combine.
- Carefully pour the mixture into a spray bottle and screw on the top. To avoid the ingestion of this hand sanitizer, please label it that it is in fact hand sanitizer. The last thing you want is for someone to ingest this mixture.
- Now go kill some germs, people.
