DIYing a Sanitizer in times of shortage

Coronavirus has taken a toll on a lot of things in our lives. Some of them we can’t control, but some little things can be easily solved. Maybe not quickly but since a lot of us are social distancing right now, this might help you pass some time and save you from the germs.

Now, that the aisles in pharmacies and the departmental stores are wiped clean of sanitisers, with not a single one in sight and restocks seeming like a distance away, the need to have a DIY method with easily accessible ingredients seems like the need of the hour. Hence, without further ado here are two ways to make your own sanitiser.

The Quick (Gel) Recipe

• Isopropyl alcohol
• Aloe Vera gel 
• Tea tree oil 

Mix 3 parts isopropyl alcohol to 1 part Aloe Vera gel. Add a few drops of tea tree oil to give it a pleasant scent and to align your chakras.

The Better (Spray) Recipe

• Isopropyl alcohol
• Glycerol or glycerin
• Hydrogen peroxide
• Distilled water
• Spray bottle

The aloe mixture gets the job done, but aloe also leaves your skin annoyingly sticky. So, here’s a recipe that’s less sticky and more potent, based on the mix recommended by the WHO.

Mix 1 ⅔ cups alcohol with 2 teaspoons of glycerol. You can buy jugs of glycerol online, and it’s an essential ingredient because it keeps the alcohol from drying out your hands. If you can’t find glycerol, proceed with the rest of the recipe anyway and just remember to moisturise your hands after applying the sanitiser.

Mix in 1 tablespoon of hydrogen peroxide, then another ¼ cup of distilled or boiled (then cooled) water. (If you’re working with a lower-concentration solution of rubbing alcohol, use far less water; remember, at least ⅔ of your final mixture has to be alcohol.)

Load the solution into spray bottles—this isn’t a gel, it’s a spray. You can wet a paper towel with it as well and use that as a wipe. If you must, you can add in a splash of essential oil to your concoction to make it smell nice. Just don’t use lavender. Everyone else uses lavender, and your sanitiser is superior.

A FEW THINGS TO KEEP IN MIND:

 Make sure that the tools you use for mixing are properly sanitised; otherwise, you could contaminate the whole thing. Also, the World Health Organization recommends letting your concoction sit for a minimum of 72 hours. That way the sanitiser has time to kill any bacteria that might have been introduced during the mixing process.

 According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, your sanitizer mix must be at least 60 percent alcohol to be effective. But it’s better to get way above that. A bottle of 99 percent isopropyl alcohol is the best thing to use. Your regular vodka and whiskey are too wimpy and won’t cut it.

 (Note: To reiterate, nothing beats washing your hands. Hand sanitiser —even the real, professionally made stuff — should always be a last resort.)

At last, stay safe out there. These are confusing times, and the best thing you can do is stay in as much as you can.