Home Made Hand Sanitiser

Discussion in 'Just Talk' started by PaulBlackpool, Mar 26, 2020.

  1. PaulBlackpool

    PaulBlackpool Screwfix Select

    Just a word of caution. Apologies if you know already.Not even noticed hand sanitiser in my usual supermarket (ASDA) even before the panic buying started.
    My wife is 65 and has MS and I am officially her carer.I am 73 and fit as a fiddle,no medication whatsoever. So I normally do all the shopping, along with slowly refurbishing the house, hence my joining this forum several years ago.
    We put an online order for food in to ASDA on 17th March and I think it is supposed to come on 2nd April.
    It is difficult to order food online you have to weigh up what will go off what you will need in the meantime and I think it is a limited selection. Also online food shopping is not geared up for this crisis.So we have decided to take this order and then I will go to the supermarket as and when.
    A death to Covid19 of a 90 year old woman whose sole trip out was shopping at Asda prompted me to think of hand sanitiser. I have a litre of HEXAL ISOPROPYL ALCOHOL which I got to clean the insides of my PC.
    This is 99.9% pure. If I used this to wipe the trolley handle or self scan handset then I risk taking the skin off my hands or setting fire to myself or the whole bloody supermarket! Googled "making your own hand sanitizer and they strongly do not advise you to do it .You mix the alcohol with Aloe Vera to reduce the % down to 60% but you need to be in a laboratory to do this properly. If you get 40% alcohol it is not effective.
    So I shall just have to wash my hands in the Gents when I go in.
    I wont be washing my hands in the Gents when I go out or some one could nick my trolley full of food. This is Blackpool after all! Actually I was born here and Iive in a suburb 2 or 3 miles from the town centre and I really would not want to live anywhere else.
    Some might think this is trivial particularly as there are half a million trying to get Universal Credit and just cannot get through to the DWP. "Just Talk" after all.
     
    Last edited: Mar 26, 2020
  2. TheMorg

    TheMorg Active Member

    If you've washed your hands before you go out I'd say there's more chance of picking something up in the gents than proceeding directly do to your shop.

    I've got a spray bottle of diluted bleach (I did the scientific test of does it smell too bleachy/not bleachy enough). I spray my hands with it after coming into contact with people/homes. Burns my cuts, but my hands still seem to be the same colour. I could probably do the trolley handle etc too if I wanted.
     
    PaulBlackpool likes this.
  3. sparky steve

    sparky steve Screwfix Select

  4. PaulBlackpool

    PaulBlackpool Screwfix Select

    Thanks for that. I have plenty of Morrisons "Thick Bleach" Citrus smelling for cleaning toilets sinks etc. It says to disinfect sinks etc use 60ml with 5 litres of water. That is use about 1 part cleaner to 100 parts of water. I haven't got a spray bottle but I could use a damp cloth kept in a freezer bag with a few drops of the bleach.
    I have just found a pack of anti-bacterial floor wipes but it has been opened and I have found with these wipes that they very quickly dry up.
    I suppose I could try and re-activate them one at a time with a few drops of ISOPROPYL ALCOHOL keeping at arms length the first time so see the reaction.
     
    Last edited: Mar 26, 2020
  5. Muzungu

    Muzungu Screwfix Select

    The same here. Have a spray bottle in my car. Been using it since a few days before the lockdown whenever I leave and enter the car. I haven't left the house since the lockdown (will have to today) so reckon using it a few times a week from now on is not going to rot my skin off!
     
  6. ajohn

    ajohn Screwfix Select

    I've been mostly using washing up liquid in a bowel of water. It's not that bad for hands. Looks like we will be also using it on things we buy. Stock running down so will have to shop shortly and have no idea what it will be like when one of us does. Probably my son as he is 30 were as both of us are 70. I'm toying with the idea of driving around to see how things are as I don't fancy my son getting it either. He lives with us. I bought a few face masks some time ago mostly for if one of us gets to reduce the spread. Thinking about sterilising them in the oven at 130C if needed. They may well be rubbish anyway - amazon and no rating.

    I have copd mostly down to a nose operation years ago but manage without inhalers etc helped by learning to breath correctly again but have to make my self do it.
     
  7. PaulBlackpool

    PaulBlackpool Screwfix Select

    I am 73 and the carer of my wife who is 65 and has MS. on 17th March I did a big online order with Asda which is supposed to come on 2nd April.
    Next door neighbour has just shopped there today and it is mobbed. My wife needs prescriptions and the Well Pharmacy attached are not answering their phone so she cannot arrange home deliveries. Doctor has prescribed 6 items for three months but 2 more are controlled drugs and only on a monthly basis. Having to go in the car now.Neither of us has "it" as far as we know.
    Covid 19 would make a good title for a sci-fi/horror film but we are living it hopefully.
     
  8. quasar9

    quasar9 Screwfix Select

    I think we may be over the worst in terms of supermarket as things are starting to turn. In the last few days, I have noted the reappearance of toilet paper, baked beans, oil, frozen veg here in SE England and by next Friday we may see the appearance of pasta etc. Just hang on and keep safe
     
    Heat likes this.
  9. Heat

    Heat Screwfix Select

    Since using soap (or just basic fairy liquid) and water washing your hands thoroughly is supposed to kill any virus, just fill a used pump liquid soap container or other with water and soap solution and wash your hands often outside. Not as handy as sanitiser gel, but better than nothing
     
    PaulBlackpool likes this.
  10. Tangoman

    Tangoman Well-Known Member


    OK - this isn't really correct on several fronts.

    Firstly the warnings regarding Home Made Sanitizer are because there are LOTS of bogus recipes floating around, many of which are based on things like vodka.

    There are two things you can do - 1) Mix the isopropyl with aloe vera - aim at 80% to be safe - that's 4 parts isopropyl to 1 part aloe vera - they don't mix that well, so needs a good shake - can put in a spray bottle for application

    Secondly, the bit about safety. Isopropyl Alcohol is VERY similar to drinking alcohol chemically - it's VERY flammable - that will apply to any shop bought stuff - think vodka is only 40% alcohol and that's flammable! So obv, keep away from naked flame! Secondly, it won't take your skin off, even neat - it will DRY your skin out though - but will so will lots of soap.

    Note - the official WHO recipe uses diluted Glycerol instead of aloe vera and includes hydrogen peroxide - the latter isn't relevant to covid, but makes for a better all round bug cleaner - if you don't have it, you can omit it from the recipe.
    https://www.who.int/gpsc/5may/Guide_to_Local_Production.pdf
     
  11. Tangoman

    Tangoman Well-Known Member

    Incidentally, went in the Co-Op the other day and found a few bottles of hand sanitizer on the shelf with a notice above stating one per customer.
    I checked the bottles - not a single one was useful against covid - all low/zero alcohol concentrations. Difficult to see though as the writing is really small. So be very careful WHICH ones you buy if you go that route.
     
  12. Bob Rathbone

    Bob Rathbone Screwfix Select

    Probably cheaper to use Vodka and soap, drink the Vodka and wash your hands with the soap :)
    It seems that any alcohol will get rid of the virus, so maybe cheap spirits or even that Old Spice that has been in the bathroom cupboard for years might do it.
     
  13. sparko69

    sparko69 Screwfix Select

    Copper is known to have anti bacterial qualities and maybe that is 1 of the reasons people used to wear a copper bracelet.
    And I would say you have got more chance of picking a disease from touching a tap or a sanitizer bottle that many others have touched so disposable gloves is a good idea
     

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