Making Your Own Hand Sanitizer Isn’t As Easy As You Think

With the rapid spread of COVID-19 across the globe, hand sanitizer is now a precious commodity.

The State of New York is now making their own using prison labor to prevent price gouging.

So if hand sanitizer is so easy to make, why shouldn’t you make it at home? 

CDC Recommendations

The Centers for Disease Control recommend washing your hands for at least 20 seconds, as often as possible.

Hand sanitizer should only be a last resort option, only if you don’t have access to soap and water. 

Many experts say that making your own hand sanitizer isn’t as easy as it seems. There are hundreds of recipes shared all over social media, but they’re not easy to make.

If the concentration of the mixture isn’t right, it won’t be effective at eliminating viruses at all. 

Can you make hand sanitizer?

The key to making a good hand sanitizer is getting the right ratio of ingredients. CDC guidelines recommend using a hand sanitizer that contains at least 60% alcohol.

Store-bought sanitizers meet that requirement. Trying to replicate sanitizer with the right concentration is harder than you think. 

Most recipes call for mixing 91% isopropyl alcohol with aloe vera gel. The recipe ratio is two-thirds of a cup of rubbing alcohol to one-third cup of aloe vera gel.

Despite the simplicity of that recipe, it is still extremely easy to mess up. 

For one, you can’t control how the alcohol is diluted into the aloe vera gel. Without proper measurements, you could create a solution that just dries out the skin on your hands.

That may result in your skin cracking or bleeding, causing further complications. 

Not using enough alcohol may render the final product ineffective. What’s worse, you could accidentally contaminate your hand sanitizer with bacteria by not properly cleaning your utensils while making it. You should also avoid all recipes that call for vodka.

An 80-proof vodka mixed with aloe will contain less than 40% alcohol – much below CDC guidelines.

The short answer here is you can make your own hand sanitizer at home, but you probably shouldn’t. 

What should I do instead?

Both the CDC and the World Health Organization recommend washing your hands multiple times per day.

Washing with soap and water for at least 20 seconds often can do much more than hand sanitizer to prevent spread.

You should also avoid touching your face with your hands, which can help spread viruses and bacteria.