If you have ever tried to buy a rare collectible item online, then you have some idea of how challenging and hard it is to find hand sanitizer at the moment. Shelves are empty, images in online stalls are all covered by “out of stock” banners, and the stuff is like liquid gold, except it might help save your life.
If you could learn how to make hand sanitizer at home, you could save yourself a lot of trouble, and potentially money.
Countless recipes are floating around online at the moment, some are definitely more effective than others. If you are looking for a recipe that has been tested and proven to be effective, then there is no one with more credibility than the World Health Organization (WHO).
But what if you want to know how to make hand sanitizer in smaller batches? Not everyone needs 10 liters of the stuff. Is it possible to make it at home? We have broken the recipe down for you so you can just make a liter at a time. The hardest part will be getting the raw materials.
How to Make Your Own Hand Sanitizer at Home
It is actually rather simple to make your own hand sanitizer, the only piece of specialized equipment you need is an alcoholmeter, which is a device used to measure the alcohol concentration of your solution. It’s essential to get the concentration right to ensure the sanitizer will be effective at killing the germs and bacteria you want it to.
The good news is, these are relatively easy to get a hold of, and if you have a friend or relative who produces their own alcohol, they may already have one you can borrow. You’ll also want some measuring equipment that can give you accurate measurements at small numbers – syringes (without needles) can work well for this.
Equipment
- A large plastic container of around 1 liter capacity with a screw-top lid.
- Measuring devices (jugs, syringes, or cylinders).
- Glass or plastic bottles with secure caps to hold the finished product (2 x 500ml work well).
- An alcoholmeter.
Ingredients Recipe
- 834ml Ethanol 96% OR 752ml Isopropyl.
- Alcohol 99.8%.
- 42ml Hydrogen Peroxide 3%.
- 14ml Glycerol 98%.
- Distilled or cold-boiled water.
Directions For How To Make Hand Sanitizer
- Pour the alcohol into your large plastic container.
- Add hydrogen peroxide to the large plastic container.
- Add the glycerol.
- If you find residual amounts sticking to the side of your measuring device, then you can use some of the distilled/pre-boiled water to rinse it off. Do not use too much water as it will dilute your product.
- With distilled/preboiled water top up your container to the 1 litre mark. Seal the container and shake gently to mix all ingredients.
- Divide the solution into your plastic bottles and allow 72 hours to rest before using it. This time allows for any remaining bacteria that may have been introduced in the mixing process to be killed off.
You may be wondering!
What About My Alcohometer?
You will need this to check the alcohol percentage of your ethanol or Isopropyl alcohol before adding it to the mixture, especially if the product you bought doesn’t state what its alcohol percentage is.
You can also use it to check the percentage of alcohol in your finished product (it should be about 77% [± 1%] on a scale at 25).
Why Am I Adding Hydrogen Peroxide And Glycerol?
The hydrogen peroxide acts as an added element to kill off any spores that may have gotten in and contaminated your mix – it doesn’t increase the ability of your hand sanitizer to kill germs. The glycerol acts as an instrument to help prevent the solution from drying out your skin too much – alcohol alone would take a lot of moisture from your skin and probably cause cracking and other substances can be used (like aloe vera), WHO recommends they should be “cheap, widely available and miscible in water and alcohol and don’t add to toxicity, or promote allergy.”
Can I Add Something To Make The Solution Smell Good?
WHO advises against this, on the grounds of introducing an agent that could lead to irritation or allergy. But if you are making the hand sanitizer for yourself and you know your favorite essential oil doesn’t disagree with you or others who might use it, then you can certainly add a few drops. Some good choices might be eucalyptus, lavender, or even lemon juice. Around 10 drops should do the trick.
Have you tried making your own hand sanitizer at home, share your experience in the comment section below.
