diy hand sanitizer

Properly washing your hands is one of the top ways to keep germs from you and your family members.

Lathering for 20 seconds with soap and thoroughly rinsing with water can help prevent bacteria and viruses from spreading to your nose, eyes, and other people.

When soap and water are unavailable, hand sanitizer can offer similar benefits.

Hand sanitizer is so effective and popular that it can sometimes be hard to find at stores. When online venues are out of stock, it can be easy to panic. Fortunately, there’s no need to stress when hand sanitizer is unavailable for purchase.

With just a few ingredients, you can make a safe, effective hand cleansing blend that meets standards set by the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The CDC is a national body responsible for optimizing American health. 

Since the CDC has so much responsibility for the country’s health, its hand sanitizer recipe is safe and effective. It’s also easy to make. You may even have some of the required ingredients.

For hand sanitizer to be effective against many bacteria and viruses, it must contain 60% alcohol.

Ideally, you should aim for a solution that contains 75% alcohol. This means that you must use 99% isopropyl alcohol in your recipe. 

A quick Google search yields a variety of recipes that rely on whiskey or other forms of alcohol.

Sadly, they don’t contain enough alcohol to sanitize effectively. An 80 or 90-proof whiskey might look like it could do the job, but the reality is that such beverages only contain 40% or 45% alcohol, respectively. 

The other non-negotiable factor in hand sanitizer production is time. The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends that hand sanitizer sit for at least 72 hours after it is mixed. This is to kill any germs that may be lurking in the container.

Now that you’ve decided to whip up a batch or two of hand sanitizer, it’s time to discuss your options. There are two main recipes. One is in gel form, and the other is a spray.

The gel sanitizer takes less time to make. It also more closely resembles the majority of commercially available products. This makes it easier to use. 

To create a gel hand sanitizer, you’ll need 99% isopropyl alcohol, aloe vera gel, and essential oil.

First, mix ¾ cup of 99% isopropyl alcohol with ¼ cup aloe vera gel. Then, add a few drops of essential oil for fragrance and pour the gel into bottles. The oils are optional but help create a pleasantly scented product that is more enjoyable to use

The following spray sanitizer recipe is stronger disinfectant than the gel. Mixing it is more difficult and requires more ingredients than the gel version.

The following ingredients are needed to make a batch of hand sanitizer spray:

  • 12 ounces of 99% isopropyl alcohol
  • 2 teaspoons of glycerin
  • 1 Tablespoon of hydrogen peroxide
  • 3 ounces of distilled water

While you might not have all these ingredients at home, they’re usually easy to find at a pharmacy or mass merchandise store in-person or online. Mix the ingredients thoroughly and pour the mixture into spray bottles.

No matter which recipe you make, remember to let the finished product sit for 72 hours before you use it. 

Once the 72-hour waiting period is over, you’ll be prepared to battle bacteria and viruses anywhere. Spray or dispense some gel onto your hands and thoroughly rub them until they feel dry.

Once dried, your hands have dried, they’re free of most germs, and you’ve just helped stop infections from being spread.

Leave a Reply