Last updated on Thursday, 23, April, 2020

5 steps to make hand sanitizer at home

Hand sanitizer is one of the most wanted objects nowadays. Since the Centers for disease control and prevention has asked everyone to frequently wash their hands with soap and water. If you do not have soap and water available readily, you can use hand sanitizer. From when the coronavirus panic started, people began to stock on many things, including the hand sanitizers. Many supermarts are short of hand sanitizers and it is a need for the time being. So do not worry if you did not get the chance to stock on hand sanitizers, you can make your hand sanitizer at home. In this article we are going you explain how can you make your hand sanitizer at home.

Try to order the ingredients online, so that you do not need to go out and expose yourself to other people. Also, you should exercise caution while making the hand sanitizer at home, because the improper use of the ingredients can cause injury. You should not make it in the kitchen or any other place where there are any inflammable materials.

Step 1

Buy all the ingredients that you would need to make a hand sanitizer at home. You will be needing isopropyl alcohol, aloe vera gel and scents like tea tree oil, lavender oil or even lemon juice to prep[are hand sanitizer at home. Also, you will need a bowl, spoon, funnel, and a container or an empty bottle to prepare and store it. Do not touch the ingredients directly as they can cause injury.

Step 2

Now wash your hands for at least 20 seconds with soap and water so that you do not transmit any germs to the things you are using and to the ingredients. Then wash the things you would be needing in preparing hand sanitizer at home.  The things include a  bowl, spoon, funnel, and the bottle. Wash them again even if they have been washed previously. Also, try to wash the countertops with bleach to avoid contamination.

Step 3

Now fill the 2/3 rd cup with 99% isopropyl alcohol or rubbing alcohol. Fill another cup with 1/3rd of pure aloe vera gel. Pour both of the cups into a bowl, mix them and whisk them until they turn into a gel. Keep mixing them until all the ingredients are blended properly. Make sure to maintain a 2:1 ratio of alcohol to aloe vera gel, to make an effective hand sanitizer that could protect you against viruses and bacteria. Also, make sure the alcohol you are using is not diluted.

Step 4

Now add 8 to 10 drops of tea tree oil, lavender oil or lemon juice to the gel. This will give a nice scent to your homemade hand sanitizer.

Step 5

Shift the hand sanitizer with the help of funnel to avoid spillage in a pre-washed and dried empty jar or any bottle from which it is easy to pour. Now label the container as hand sanitizer so everyone could know what is it. Lastly do not forget to wash the things you have used in preparing it. This hand sanitizer can kill almost 99.9% germs after 60 seconds.

Conclusion

You should use a hand sanitizer containing at least 60% alcohol to work effectively against coronavirus. Otherwise, it would not kill the germs and especially viruses. Washing hands with soap and water should be your priority, consider using hand sanitizer when water and soap are not available. This is because hand sanitizer can inactivate many microbes effectively, but they do not kill some of them. Also, hand sanitizer does not work well if your hands are greasy or dirty. You should make sure while using the hand sanitizer that all the area has been wetted by it. Apply the hand sanitizer on one palm and rub it with another.

Do not forget to take all the safety measures while making a hand sanitizer at home. Try to wear gloves and keep children away while making it. Do not touch the hand sanitizer when it is in the making. Also, make sure to label the container with a label of “hand sanitizer” after its preparation. Store it at room temperature, away from direct sunlight and out of children’s reach.