The rapid spread of the corona virus (or COVID-19 in particular) has spurred people to keep their hands clean as recommended by the World Health Organization (WHO). The WHO says to wash your hands with soap and water when hands are visibly dirty. If your hands are not visibly dirty, frequently clean them with by using alcohol-based hand rub or soap and water (hand sanitizer). See image below:
IMAGE SOURCE: WHO Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) advice for the public
Almost everybody now carries a bottle of hand sanitizer as access to a sink with soap and water is not available 100% of the time. You want to clean your hands in a pinch wherever you are. And because of this COVID-19 outbreak, people are rushing to purchase hand sanitizers which could cause a shortage.
In case of an actual shortage of hand sanitizers, there is no need to worry as you can actually make them yourselves. You probably have the ingredients at home right now.
DISCLAIMER: Hand sanitizers are not the most effective way to keep your hands clean, washing them with soap and water is. If you have access to running water and soap, you are better of washing your hands rather than relying on hand sanitizers.
The active ingredient in hand sanitizers is alcohol, the minimum of which is 60% in order to be an effective disinfectant. Below are three (3) recipes for your own homemade hand sanitizer that actually work. The key in making your own homemade hand sanitizers is getting the ingredients in the proper proportions.
You will need measuring cups and spoons to portion out the ingredients. It is a good idea to use recycled liquid soap or hand sanitizer bottles as your containers but you can also buy them in case you don’t have any. Make sure that everything is clean and has been washed thoroughly, preferably dis-infected.
HOMEMADE HAND SANITIZER #1 (Basic)
Ingredients:
- 2/3 cup 99% rubbing alcohol (isopropyl alcohol) or ethanol (grain alcohol)
- 1/3 cup aloe vera gel
- 8-10 drops Tea Tree Oil
Alcohol, by itself, dries skin and evaporates too quickly to do its work. Aloe vera is included as a soothing gel. Tea Tree oil is added as it is also a natural disinfectant and can boost the effectiveness of the hand sanitizer. You may wish to change the tea tree oil with other essential oils if you prefer pleasing scents.
Directions:
- Mix the ingredients together.
- Use a funnel to get the finished product into your container.
Below are two (2) recipes adapted from the World Health Organization. The WHO has official instructions to make disinfecting hand sanitizers. The recipes call for glycerol (also known as glycerin) and not aloe vera. The recipes also do not use essential oils, the smell of the alcohol will not be masked.
The formulations from the WHO, if followed closely, will result into 1 Liter solutions which may be quite too much for some people. The original recipes may be found HERE. The recipes below have been adjusted so that you could produce about 2 cups of formulation, which is about half a liter for those who are more familiar with metric measurements.
HOMEMADE HAND SANITIZER recipes from the World Health Organization
WHO Formulation #1
Ingredients:
- 1 3/4 cups (approx. 417 mL) Ethanol 95%
- 1 1/2 TBSP (approx. 21 mL) Hydrogen Peroxide 3%
- 1/2 TBSP (approx. 7.25 mL) Glycerol 98%
- 1/4 cup (approx. 55.25 mL) distilled or boiled water
Directions:
- Pour the alcohol into a medium sized container.
- Add the hydrogen peroxide.
- Add the glycerin and stir. Glycerin is thicker than alcohol and hydrogen peroxide. So stir very well. If your container has a water tight lid, put it on and shake it well.
- Pour in the water. Stir.
- Prepare your container. Sanitize with alcohol until it evaporates.
- Use a funnel to get the finished sanitizer into your container.
- Label your container.
WHO Formulation #2
Ingredients:
- 1 1/2 Cups and 1 1/2 TBSP (approx. 375.75 mL) Isopropyl Alcohol (with a purity of 99.8%)
- 1 1/2 TBSP (approx. 21 mL) Hydrogen Peroxide 3%
- 1/2 TBSP (approx. 7.25 mL) Glycerol 98%
- 3/8 cup (approx. 96.15 mL) distilled or boiled water
Directions:
- Pour the alcohol into a medium sized container.
- Add the hydrogen peroxide.
- Add the glycerin and stir. Glycerin is thicker than alcohol and hydrogen peroxide. So stir very well. If your container has a water tight lid, put it on and shake it well.
- Pour in the water. Stir.
- Prepare your container. Sanitize with alcohol until it evaporates.
- Use a funnel to get the finished sanitizer into your container.
- Label your container.
The two recipes from WHO are more effective than the store bought hand sanitizers. However, we still should not rely on hand rubs alone. Thorough hand washing is still the recommended practice.
For more information with regard to keep yourself safe from viruses, follow this LINK. It is the official WHO site that has lots of shareable media.
If you are from the Philippines, most of the ingredients and materials can be bought online from Lazada.
Other LIFE articles may be found HERE.
Other HEALTH articles may be found HERE.
