Can't find hand sanitizer?

[FreeinChrist]

With the fear of or expectation of an epidemic, hand sanitizer went flying off the shelves.

It is mostly alcohol. This is a recipe for making your own that I like.

1 part Aloe Vera gel
2 parts 70% Isopropyl Alcohol (use 70% or greater, not drinking alcohol)
Essential oil for scent.

Mix in a 2 - 3 oz squeezable, leak-proof travel bottle, and shake it up.
​

I mixed 1 generous tablespoon aloe vera gel, with 2 tablespoons of the isopropyl alcohol and put in 10 drops of lemon essential oil. It smells harsh without the essential oil.

It is nice to know how to make some when it can't be found.

​

 

[Landon Caeli]

@FreeinChrist, check this out:

Soap works better than alcohol and disinfectants at destroying the structure of viruses

Why does soap work so well on the new coronavirus and, indeed, most viruses? Because it is a self-assembled nanoparticle in which the weakest link is the lipid (fatty) bilayer.

Deadly viruses are no match for plain, old soap — here’s the science behind it

 

[FreeinChrist]

Most soaps don't have alcohol in them. That is why I like hand sanitizer along with washing with soap for this particular virus (coronovirus).

For the most part soap is okay to use. Sometimes, a sink isn't handy.

 

[Landon Caeli]

Most soaps don't have alcohol in them. That is why I like hand sanitizer along with washing with soap for this particular virus (coronovirus).

Indeed..!

I just thought maybe you might like that (it shows the science behind it).

 

[FreeinChrist]

I did!

I posted a link to this on Facebook:
The proper way to wash your hands, according to the CDC - CNN

Folks often don't use soap long enough when washing their hands. One needs to sing the birthday song through twice (in their mind) when washing with soap before rinsing.

 

[blackribbon]

@FreeinChrist, check this out:

Soap works better than alcohol and disinfectants at destroying the structure of viruses

Why does soap work so well on the new coronavirus and, indeed, most viruses? Because it is a self-assembled nanoparticle in which the weakest link is the lipid (fatty) bilayer.

Soap and water work better because you are actually washing the viruses down the drain and OFF of your body. It is the best method. It is the only method for some diseases that are not killed efficiently with alcohol.

If you do use hand sanitizer, you hands are not clean unless you cover all surfaces (under your nails for example) and they aren't sanitized until the skin is dry.

As a nurse, I wash my hands more than use the hand sanitizer a practice I picked up because I often touched newborns. I noticed that I was one of the few nurses who did not have dry hands that were eaten up by the alcohol in the hand sanitizer.

 

[Landon Caeli]

Soap and water work better because you are actually washing the viruses down the drain and OFF of your body. It is the best method. It is the only method for some diseases that are not killed efficiently with alcohol.

If you do use hand sanitizer, you hands are not clean unless you cover all surfaces (under your nails for example) and they aren't sanitized until the skin is dry.

Yeah, my understanding is that alcohol is best used only if you don't have access to a sink with soap and water.

 

[FreeinChrist]

Soap and water work better because you are actually washing the viruses down the drain and OFF of your body. It is the best method. It is the only method for some diseases that are not killed efficiently with alcohol.

If you do use hand sanitizer, you hands are not clean unless you cover all surfaces (under your nails for example) and they aren't sanitized until the skin is dry.

As a nurse, I wash my hands more than use the hand sanitizer a practice I picked up because I often touched newborns. I noticed that I was one of the few nurses who did not have dry hands that were eaten up by the alcohol in the hand sanitizer.

I agree. The preferred way is to use soap and water. But sometimes I am out and about, and a sink with soap is not handy. That is when I use hand sanitizer.

 

[Lulav]

And the supplies continue to tank.

I found this from the WHO (World Health Organization) who says it can be used for both personal sanitizing and pre surgical.

Here is everything you need to create your own hand sanitizer, according to WHO:

• Ethanol 96% or isopropyl alcohol 99.8%: 8333 ml or 2.2 gallons of ethanol or 7515 ml or 2 gallons of isopropyl alcohol
• Hydrogen peroxide 3%, which is used to inactivate contaminating bacterial spores in the solution and is not an active substance for hand antisepsis: 417 ml or 1.76 cups
• Glycerol 98%, which acts as a moisturizer: 145 ml or 0.6 cups
• Sterile distilled or boiled cold water
  
  

The materials needed to mix the ingredients are:

• Depending on how much you want to make, you’ll need anywhere from a 10-liter (2.6 gallon) glass or plastic bottle to 50-liter (13.2 gallon) plastic tank.
• Wooden, plastic or metal paddles for mixing
• Measuring cylinders and measuring jugs
• Plastic or metal funnel
• An alcoholometer

The recipe provided by the organization can be prepared in 10-liter glass or plastic bottles with screw-threaded stoppers to prevent spillage.

Here is the step by step preparation, according to WHO:

1. The alcohol for the formula to be used is poured into the large bottle or tank up to the graduated mark.
2. Hydrogen peroxide is added using the measuring cylinder.
3. Glycerol is added using a measuring cylinder. As glycerol is very viscous and sticks to the wall of the measuring cylinder, it should be rinsed with some sterile distilled or cold boiled water and then emptied into the bottle/tank.
4. The bottle/tank is then topped up to the 10-liter mark with sterile distilled or cold boiled water.
5. The lid or the screw cap is placed on the tank/bottle as soon as possible after preparation, in order to prevent evaporation.
6. The solution is mixed by shaking gently where appropriate or by using a paddle.
7. Place the solution in quarantine for 72 hours before use. This allows time for any spores present in the alcohol or the new/re-used bottles to be destroyed.

You can read more about it here: This Guide to Local Production of WHO-recommended Handrub Formulations

 

[Greengardener]

Having kids and not wanting to use hand sanitizer on them, I used to take a jug of water with me, a couple of wash cloths, a bar of soap or diluted dish washing liquid, and a repurposed plastic container with a tight lid, like a coffee "tin" or ice cream bucket. Think through your steps in handwashing but sanitation can be obtained while out. One wash cloth would be for drying, the others were spares for all the steps that an extra paper towel might be used for, and the bucket for collecting the cloths for washing at home. Before the strict isolation I took the grandkids to a park and packed sandwiches and water, enough water for drinking and for handwashing both before eating and before getting back into the car after handling all the climbing equipment at the park. Of course, we washed again once we got home, and they are careful to take off their shoes at the door as part of their usual routine.