You might have heard that there’s been a run on hand sanitizer during this dark time of pandemic hoarding. It’s pretty much impossible to find anywhere, and bleach is in short supply, too.
The good news is that the ingredients to make your own sanitizer should still be easy to find, and as DIY projects go, making it at home is actually very simple.
Also, you’ve got the time.
There are two types of at-home sanitizer you can make that are approved by health officials around the world. One is a liquid that can be easily sprayed, and is recommended by the WHO. The other is a gel that resembles the smell and feel of what you’d buy at the store.
To make either you’ll need less than 15 minutes, around $15, a measuring cup, measuring spoons, a whisk, empty spray bottles for the liquid and empty sanitizer bottles for the gel.
Liquid Formula
https://www.instagram.com/p/B9uch0CAw4r/
Ingredients:
1 cup of 99% isopropyl alcohol
1 tablespoon of 3% hydrogen peroxide
1 teaspoon of 98% glycerin
¼ cup, 1 tablespoon, and 1 teaspoon (or 85 milliliters) of sterile distilled or boiled cold water
Steps:
- Pour the alcohol into a medium-sized container with a pouring spout. The percentages on the labels of isopropyl alcohol refer to the alcohol concentration in them. You’re dealing with almost pure alcohol if you’ve got 99.8%, whereas 70% means the bottle is only a little more than two-thirds alcohol, and the rest is water.
- Add the hydrogen peroxide.
- Add the glycerin and stir. This ingredient is thicker than both alcohol and hydrogen peroxide, so it’ll take some stirring to combine everything. You can use a clean spoon for this or, if your container has a lid, you can put that on and shake it well.
- Measure and pour in the water. If you’re using 99% isopropyl alcohol, you’ll need to measure ¼ of a cup, 1 tablespoon, and 1 teaspoon of distilled or boiled cold water and add it all to your mix. If you’re using another percentage of isopropyl alcohol, just pour as much water as necessary to get to a final volume of 345 milliliters, or approximately 1.4 cups. Stir.
- Sanitize your spray bottles and pour in your hand sanitizer. Spray some of your leftover alcohol into your bottles and let them sit until the alcohol has evaporated. Pour in your sanitizer.
- Label your bottles. You don’t want any accidents where you or anybody else ingests your newly made hand sanitizer. Take the time to label your bottles. Go kill some germs.
Gel Formula
https://www.instagram.com/p/B9g0zVrJ7Mg/
Ingredients:
1 cup of 91% isopropyl alcohol
½ cup of aloe vera gel (natural or store-bought)
15 drops of tea tree oil (or another antibacterial essential oil)
Steps:
- Pour the alcohol into a medium container with a pouring spout.
- Measure and pour the aloe vera gel. Alcohol can be hard on your skin, so using aloe is a good way to counteract that effect and keep your hands smooth. If you want to keep things natural, you can use aloe vera gel straight from the plant without worrying about it going bad—the alcohol will act as a preservative. However, you will need to keep in mind that natural aloe gel is thicker than its store-bought counterpart and will thus affect the final product differently—it will make your hand sanitizer more sticky, which means you’ll need to rub your hands more times for it to fully absorb.
- Add the essential oil. Tea tree oil is naturally antibacterial, so it makes sense to use it here. But if you’re not a fan of its smell, you can use another type of essential oil, like lavender, lemongrass, or eucalyptus.
- Whisk. To fully mix all ingredients, stirring won’t be enough. Get a whisk and beat that hand sanitizer into an homogeneous gel.
- Sanitize your spray bottles and pour in your hand sanitizer. Spray some of your leftover alcohol into your bottles and let them sit until the alcohol has evaporated. Pour in your sanitizer.
- Label your containers. You don’t want any accidents where you or anybody else ingests your newly made hand sanitizer. Take the time to label your bottles. Continue living.
I also feel the need to remind you that sanitizers should only be used when you can’t wash your hands with warm water and soap – it’s more effective than simple hand sanitizer any time.
There are your coronavirus tips for the day – you’re welcome!
Stay safe and healthy in there, people. Because I know you’re doing the right thing and staying home when you can.
