Clean Hands In Hard Times

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It’s official, we’re living in a completely different world than the one we’re used to. For the time being public; gatherings, dining, worship, movies, concerts, classes, and sporting events; are things of the past. Yet, as surely as we must remain physically

Subject: Hands Washing | Date: 03/18/2020 |

| Source: Beat Ruest |

| This file is licensed under the Creative Commons 

Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 International |

separated in order to avoid contamination, we must hang together as a society.

Hoarding toilet paper so you get yours, before your neighbors get any, makes matters worse. Fist fighting over the last package of hamburger in the supermarket makes matters worse.

Now is the time to make positive contributions, to help and support each other. To that end, I’ve researched recipes for homemade hand sanitizer.

The most popular version requires people to buy, if they can find it, or make their own aloe gel before making the sanitizer. Not only do most people not have their own aloe plant, but the popular formula purportedly leaves hands sticky.

From everything I’ve read, the glycerin-based formula seems preferable.

In order to make it, mix 12 fluid ounces of rubbing alcohol (which is 99% isopropyl alcohol) with 2 teaspoons of vegetable glycerol.   Then add 1 tablespoon of hydrogen peroxide & 3 fluid ounces of distilled water. If you're working with a lower-concentration solution of rubbing alcohol, use far less water.  Keep in mind, at least 91% of your sanitizer needs to be alcohol.

Glycerol is an important ingredient because it keeps the alcohol from drying out your hands.  You can buy jugs of vegetable glycerol online.   If you can't find glycerol, proceed with the rest of the recipe anyway and just remember to moisturize your hands after applying the sanitizer.

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.

Above all, stay safe and stat sane.