Everyone is (understandably) pretty freaked out about the new coronavirus, which has led to a rush to buy cleaning supplies like hand sanitizer online and at local shops.
CVS and Walgreens have warned they could run out of hand sanitizer — if you visit a local store, you may find empty shelves — and options on Amazon are limited and, in some cases, seemingly pretty expensive.
But as some folks online have pointed out, it’s possible to make your own hand sanitizer. There’ve been lots of posts about it as people grapple with gaining some semblance of control over the outbreak on COVID-19, the official name of the new coronavirus.
Even Stephen Colbert’s The Late Show had a joking segment about making hand sanitizer using the notoriously potent liquor Everclear.
The Late Show✔@colbertlateshow
On #LSSC tonight: Have no fear, Everclear is here!2377:45 AM – Mar 3, 2020Twitter Ads info and privacy69 people are talking about this
I make my own yogurt and my own bread
but I really never envisioned making homemade hand sanitizer807:27 PM – Mar 3, 2020, ·Ann Arbor, MITwitter Ads info and privacy See Prof Dynarski’s other Tweets
With the supplies of hand sanitizer running low in stores, I may make my own.
+ aloe vera gel
+ rubbing alcohol
Will update my DIY project results. pic.twitter.com/kysbpO10CX
See Kaitlyn Pratt’s other Tweets
But making your own hand sanitizer is possible and it’s not really even that hard. Recipes typically call for combining rubbing alcohol and aloe vera gel in the right proportions. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends washing your hands thoroughly with soap and water but has said that as long as a hand sanitizer is at least 60 percent alcohol it can be effective at killing germs. That’s key: You’ve got to have enough alcohol in the mixture.
Maryn McKenna✔@marynmck · Mar 2, 2020
IDK who needs to hear this, but if you are making yourself paranoid looking for sold-out hand sanitizer, it might be empowering to know you can DIY your own from a drugstore.
Not that you have to! But in case it helps to know you can if you need to, recipe follows:
Combine in a bowl:
⅔-cup rubbing alcohol (99% isopropyl alcohol)
⅓-cup aloe vera gel.
Stir. Decant into a clean soap or pump bottle.
That’s it, that’s the recipe. Originates with a 2019 post by biomedical PhD @azareal: https://www.thoughtco.com/make-your-own-homemade-hand-sanitizer-606145 …The Easy Way to Make Homemade Hand SanitizerHere is an easy recipe to make homemade hand sanitizer. You control the ingredients, so you can make sure the sanitizer is safe and effective.thoughtco.com
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Dr. Philip Tierno, professor of microbiology and pathology at the New York University School of Medicine, told Mashable in a phone conversation that as long as your mixture was 60 percent alcohol or higher, it would get the job done.
“As far as effectiveness, any alcohol over 60 percent or higher would kill the coronavirus,” Tierno said. “The coronavirus has an outer shell that makes it a bit easier to kill [vs. other ‘naked’ viruses].”
But if you’re going to make your own sanitizer, as CNN points out, it’s really important you do it correctly.
And, in case you were wondering, “You don’t need scents or perfumes,” Tierno said.
But better yet, wash your hands. Just make sure you do it correctly. The CDC recommends you wet your hands, lather soap in your hands (all over) for at least 20 seconds, then rinse and dry with a clean towel. Washing your hands is typically considered the best option since hand sanitizers might not work as well on visibly soiled or greasy hands.
For more information on the coronavirus outbreak, visit the World Health Organization’s information page.
