How To Make Hand Sanitizer At Home
The World Health Organization has published the guide online, (originally made to help countries with limited resources to clean water and towels) with ingredients you may already have to make your own hand sanitizer at home.
- 1 cup of 99.8% isopropyl alcohol
- 1 tablespoon of 3% hydrogen peroxide
- 1 teaspoon of 98% glycerin
- ¼ cup of sterile distilled water or boiled water that has cooled
CREDIT: (Los Angeles Times; Getty Images)
1. Pour the alcohol into a glass container.
2. Add hydrogen peroxide.
3. Add glycerin and stir vigorously to combine, as it is much thicker than alcohol and hydrogen peroxide.
4. Add sterilized water or cooled boiled water and stir.
5. Pour into spray bottles.
6. Let the bottles rest for 72 hours. This will kill any bacteria that might be present, especially if you are reusing the containers.
the CDC recommends an overall content of least 60% alcohol. That means that if you make the WHO formula with 70% isopropyl alcohol instead of 99%, your hand sanitizer won’t be strong enough to fight COVID-19. (You can also use ethanol in place of isopropyl alcohol but it must be at least 180 proof).
how to make hand sanitizer with aloe vera
You can add aloe vera gel which is good for skin hydration and will help keep skin from drying out with use. (stick to a proportion of 2:1 alcohol to aloe vera. This is the minimum amount needed to kill most germs, according to the CDC.)
an essential oil, such as tea tree oil or lavender oil, or even lemon juice can also be used to add something extra
