The coronavirus outbreak is said to have caused a hand sanitizer shortage at stores and online retailers almost everywhere, according to consumers.
And if you have been on social media lately, almost everyone has a recipe for how you should make your own using vodka. But experts note that it is easy to screw up a recipe for hand sanitizer and that one of the easiest failures can come in not using enough alcohol or maybe you are following a recipe that looks good online but does not result in the right concentration of alcohol.
One pharmacist also noted on a thread on Twitter that this is not easy.
“I'm a professional compounding pharmacist, and I can make hand sanitizer gel, having learned this art in the 2009 pandemic, and it is VERY DIFFICULT. Getting alcohol to gel is so pissy, but using straight-up liquid versions destroys your skin. Just. Use. Soap,” she wrote.
“WHAT ABOUT MAKING MY OWN? Oh just use soap. If you screw up and don't use enough alcohol, your homebrew won't work, and even if you do, most homemade versions dry your skin too much, making it MORE vulnerable to infection,” she added.
I'm a professional compounding pharmacist, and I can make hand sanitizer gel, having learned this art in the 2009 pandemic, and it is VERY DIFFICULT. Getting alcohol to gel is so pissy, but using straight-up liquid versions destroys your skin. Just. Use. Soap.
— Brooke (@hsifyppah) March 4, 2020
An American vodka brand, Titos Vodka also noted that washing your hands with soap and water is the best way to get rid of germs in most situations.
Per the CDC, hand sanitizer needs to contain at least 60% alcohol. Tito's Handmade Vodka is 40% alcohol, and therefore does not meet the current recommendation of the CDC. Please see attached for more information. pic.twitter.com/fyjCISIa70
— TitosVodka (@TitosVodka) March 4, 2020
Here’s what other Twitter users had to say.
%%%twitter https://twitter.com/hashtag/CoronaVirusSA?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#CoronaVirusSA
— TiaraRay (@SydenhamStekkie)
Cant get any hand sanitizer? Try this easy homemade recipe:
— Aaron Pooley (@pooley_aaron) March 6, 2020
1) Pour 25ml of alcohol into a glass. Must be minimum 80 proof... vodka, whiskey, tequila or brandy/cognac work well.
2) Wash your hands thoroughly with soap.
3) Drink the alcohol and chill the fuck out.😊
dont make homemade hand sanitizer with vodka or tequila
— Alex Froio @ Not brave to be spooky (@DukeCarge) March 5, 2020
just use soap, wash for 20 seconds
just use soap, wash for 20 seconds
just use soap, wash for 20 seconds
just use soap, wash for 20 seconds
just use soap, wash for 20 seconds
just use soap, wash for 20 seconds
just use soap,