Last Updated on September 24, 2020 by Shane Pulham
The coronavirus is now a major threat in the United States and the threat grows every day as more and more cases are being reported every day. The Center For Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is doing its best to keep everyone up to date and provide information on how to stay safe until this virus can be stopped.
One of the first things that was mentioned was to wash your hands excessively and use hand sanitizer to keep your hands clean.
So what do you think was the first item to get emptied on the shelves when the panic set in (besides toilet paper)? Hand sanitizer.
With that said, it’s now pretty much impossible to get any hand sanitizer, not only at the grocery stores but also online. But despite this bad news, the good news is that you can easily make hand sanitizer at home.
So let’s dive right in!
Disclaimer: Homemade hand sanitizer recipes, such as the one I have researched below, is not a guarantee against contracting the coronavirus. Only use homemade hand sanitizer recipes as a last resort if you don’t have soap and water for some reason. When it comes to preventing the spread of infectious diseases like COVID-19, nothing beats good old-fashioned hand washing.
Hand Sanitizer Ingredients
The below items are what you will need to make your own hand sanitizer at home without aloe vera gel. If you want to make smaller quantities just reduce the recipe. This formula will never go below 75% alcohol, which assures you that it is effective in reducing the spread of the virus.
- Spray bottle
- Boiled Water (3 ounces)
- Hydrogen Peroxide (1 tablespoon)
- Glycerine (2 teaspoons)
- 99% pure isopropyl alcohol (12 ounces)
How To Make Homemade Hand Sanitizer At Home
Once you have the ingredients, it’s as easy as mixing them all together and put it in your spray bottle.
Step 1: Mix the glycerine with the alcohol in a separate container.
Step 2: Boil your water then let it cool. This ensures you are correctly purifying the water before you use it just in case.
Step 3: Next, mix in the hydrogen peroxide then the water that you just boiled. Make sure the water is cooled to room temperature.
Step 4: Put the final solution into your spray bottle and voila! Obviously this is a spray as opposed to a gel that you rub on your hands. But it works just the same.
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.
You can also find a similar recipe from the World Health Organization here. This is the recipe they use to make large quantities.
How To use hand sanitizer correctly
There are a couple of things that you should note when you are using hand sanitizer in general. First, you need to rub the hand sanitizer into your skin until your hands are dry. Secondly, if your hands are dirty for whatever reason, don’t even use hand sanitizer because it won’t be as effective according to the CDC.
With the above in mind, below are a few tips for using hand sanitizer:
- Spray your new homemade hand sanitizer to the palm of your hands.
- Completely cover your hands and rub them together so that you cover everything, including your fingers and in between your fingers and the top of your hands.
- Continue to rub your hands together for at least 20 to 45 seconds until your hands are dry because it can take around 20 seconds for the hand sanitizer to kill most of the germs.
Final Thoughts
Look….I’m not an expert but I’m going to continue to research and find ways that I can stay as safe as possible from this deadly virus. Just like you are experiencing I’m sure, there is no hand sanitizer left. So why not make it on your own if needed.
But with that said, please remember that soap and water is the best defense and should be utilized FIRST before using a homemade hand sanitizer. Don’t be fooled by thinking the above homemade recipe will save you. Also, be careful not to rely on other recipes that are floating out there around the internet.
Be smart. Stay safe. And let’s hope the coronavirus passes as soon as possible so we can all get back to our daily lives.