If The Store Is Out of Sanitizer, Make Your Own

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    Sanitizer

    By Kennedy Shelley

    I can’t tell you how to make toilet paper at home, but the other item that many people can’t find at the store is hand sanitizer, but thankfully there is a do-it-yourself version that is just as effective.

    Hand sanitizer is not a substitute for handwashing with soap and running water, but it is so comforting to have when you are at the grocery store and you need to use a cart that you know someone else used a few minutes ago.

    The thing that kills viruses, bacteria and germ is a 60% alcohol solution.  There is nothing more required than that to kill a huge swath of microscopic bugs.

    But if you miss the feel of that gel and you want it to be more personal, then I will give you some basic recipes to make it feel better.

    Again, this is not a substitute for 30-60 seconds of serious handwashing with soap, warm/hot running water with that rigorous scrubbing action, but it is helpful in killing some bad stuff.

    Get some rubbing alcohol (99% solution), aloe vera gel and if you want maybe some type of fragrance like an essential oil you like.

    Put ¾’s of a cup of the alcohol, ¼ of a cup of aloe and ten drops of the oil you like in a bowl and mix until it becomes a gel.

    And that is about it.  Put it in small bottles you can take with you but mark the bottles, so you don’t mix it up.

    Be careful with this if you have a cut on your finger.  It burns like the dickens if it gets in a small wound.

    It tends to dry out your hands, so try not to use it all the time.

    This probably shouldn’t be used on the tender hands of small children, plus if they rub their eyes it is going to really hurt.

    People who already suffer from skin diseases such as eczema or psoriasis are going to find this painful to use.

    Some find that different essential oils help their mood. They find that lavender helps calm them down, so you label that batch “Chill Sanitizer” and they think lemon oil promotes the immune system, so label that “Immune Boost.”

    Who knows, this might become a fun gift to give friends

    Have some fun with it.

    There are other ingredients you might also want to consider too.

    Vitamin E oil might make your hands smoother and help make you feel more moisturized, so you don’t have to lick your fingers to change pages like some health officials did during a press conference.

    If you can’t get rubbing alcohol, stop by the liquor store and get 190 proof grain alcohol.  (Whatever you do, don’t drink that straight).

    In an absolute pinch, look for the highest proof vodka you can find.

    Most distilled spirits will provide some protection, but the darker it is, usually the stickier it is when it evaporates.

    What is the official word on hand sanitizers according to the Center for Disease Control?

    “Hand washing mechanically removes pathogens, while laboratory data demonstrate that 60% ethanol and 70% isopropanol, the active ingredients in CDC-recommended alcohol-based hand sanitizers, inactivates viruses that are genetically related to, and with similar physical properties as, the 2019-nCoV.” They also recommend them for health professionals.

    Who knew you could make your own?