How to make hand sanitizer dry at home

Are you looking to buy antibacterial hand sanitizer recently? With the spread of the corona virus and the potential for an outbreak in the United States, Americans are actively stocking sanitizing utensils and hand sanitizers similar to when they store bread and milk during a snowstorm. . Retailers on Amazon have increased the price of hand sanitizer to a ridiculous level.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) have asked Americans to prepare for the spread of the virus during the COVID-19 pandemic. For some people, prevention means stocking up on medications, a basic food supply, and planning for possible situations at home. But most important of all is practicing basic hygiene, like washing your hands.

However, you may not always be near water and hand sinks. In such cases, you should use a dry hand sanitizer with an alcohol content of at least 60%. Make sure to get the right amount, rubbing all over the front and back of hands until they are completely dry. Absolutely avoid touching your face.

If the store does not have hand sanitizer for sale and you do not have it available, fortunately you can easily make your own hand sanitizer.

1. What is dry hand sanitizer? Is it good to use dry hand sanitizer?

Dry hand sanitizer is a product that is prepared in the form of a solution. It can be a spray or a gel for hand cleaning, disinfecting without the use of water.

The main ingredients of dry cleaning water in general generally include:

1. Ethanol (Alcohol)
2. Deionized Water (Purified Water)
3. Sodium Lactate (Desiccant)
4. Fragrance (Fragrance / Essential Oils);
5. Benzalkonium Chloride (Antiseptic).

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Normally, the composition of Ethanol (Alcohol) must reach 60 - 75 degrees or more to kill bacteria and ensure the targets. So when choosing a dry hand sanitizer to kill bacteria. You need to consider the factors included in the composition. From composition to concentration.

How to use dry hand sanitizer is very simple. You just need to give a sufficient amount and spread evenly in the palm of the hand for about 30 seconds. Then let dry naturally without rinsing with water.

2. When should I use dry hand sanitizer?

1. For health care workers or people who come into contact with sick people, it is necessary to sanitize their hands at 5 golden moments.

1. As for the people, UNICEF advises us to wash our hands at the following times:
   1. When hands are dirty: after going to the toilet, after disposing of trash, after changing diapers, after touching public objects (eg elevators, parking cards, doorknobs, .)
   2. Before and after eating
   3. After touching animals and pets
2. Use dry hand sanitizer to clean everyday items such as phones, tablets, wallet, door knobs, motorbike handles, .
3. Note that the dry hand sanitizer should be kept out of the reach of children and only applied to baby's hands when an adult is around. This will help ensure the safety and avoid the risk of ingestion by the baby.

3. What is the main ingredient of dry hand sanitizer?

Dry hand sanitizer usually includes the main ingredients: alcohol, deion water, sodium lactate, fragrance and some other chemical compounds.

When choosing to buy dry hand sanitizer, you should choose dry hand sanitizers with an alcohol content of 60-75% that you can use with peace of mind because they have a high antiseptic ability, destroy most viruses. cause extremely effective disease.

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4. Self-Make hand sanitizer dry with medical alcohol according to WHO formula

The ingredients and the instructions used here are based on the WHO World Health Organization's dry hand sanitizer recipe.

Glyxerin: used as a moisturizer, hand lotion, can be replaced with aloe vera gel or vitamin E liquid oil.

Essential Oil: This ingredient is not required to dry hand sanitizer. The added essential oils only help reduce the smell of alcohol, create a pleasant fragrance, and nourish your hands better. You can add things such as tea tree oil, cinnamon essential oil, peppermint oil, etc.

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Preparing instruments

1. Spray bottle.
2. 500 ml glass bottle.
3. Small funnel.

Ingredients for mixing 500 ml vials

1. Alcohol 96: 415 ml.
2. Hydrogen peroxide 3%: 20 ml.
3. Glyxerin: 7.5 ml.
4. Essential oil: 2.5 ml.
5. Distilled or cooled boiled water: 55 ml.

Notes when using alcohol

1. Alcohol is a combustible solution, so after using alcohol, even if you have sanitized your hands, you should not do things that are exposed to fire such as: cooking gas stoves, using lighters, .
2. Avoid direct contact with alcohol on other parts of the body, use necessary protective equipment for heavy contact such as: masks, gloves, .
3. Do not fully store alcohol in the storage device as the alcohol expands greatly with temperature. Using container must be secure, avoid leakage.
4. It is forbidden to reuse the packaging of equipment, chemical packaging to contain alcohol when used for non-industrial purposes because it is easy to dissolve residual harmful substances.
5. When alcohol gets on body exposed parts such as eyes, wash immediately and go to the nearest medical facility.
6. Store the alcohol in a cool place, away from heat sources, away from direct sunlight.
7. When a fire occurs, use powder, dry chemicals, and CO2 foam to handle it. Absolutely do not use water for fire fighting.

Notes on mixing alcohol-based hand sanitizer

1. Chemicals and tools can be purchased at the medical material stores, especially glycerin should choose to buy plant extracts at the food / cosmetic ingredients store.
2. Tools used to prepare should be washed with soap. If the tools are heat resistant, they can be boiled or rinsed with boiling water.
3. During the process, gloves should be worn to avoid skin irritation. Avoid splashing solution in the eyes.

Making

Step 1. Pour 415ml of 96-degree alcohol into the big bottle.

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Step 2. Use a syringe to measure exactly 20ml of hydrogen peroxide. Then pour 3% hydrogen peroxide into the alcohol container.

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Step 3. Use a syringe to measure exactly 7.5 ml of Gylexrin and continue adding glycerol to the alcohol container.

Because glycerin is very viscous, it will easily stick to the measuring cylinder, so you need to rinse the syringe with distilled or cooled water, then dry it or let it dry before using it to measure glycerin concentration.

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Step 4. Fill the flask with remaining distilled or boiling water.

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Step 5. Add about 2 - 3ml of essential oil to reduce the alcohol smell and the solution has a pleasant aroma. Immediately close the lid of the flask after preparing the solution to prevent evaporation.

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Step 6. Shake or gently stir the solution with a chopstick.

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Step 7. Finally, extract the solution through a small bottle for convenient use.

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5. Make a dry hand sanitizer with tea tree oil 

What is tea tree oil?

Tea tree oil is a wind oil extracted from the leaves of the long leaf Melaleuca plant, which can also be extracted from other plants of the genus Melaleuca.

This oil has a pleasant aroma and taste and is used in a wide variety of specific cough medicines, mouthwashes, antiseptics and fungi in either a topical application or a volatile inhaler.

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Materials to be used

1. 1/4 cup gel from the aloe vera leaves.
2. 20 drops of tea tree oil.

Doing

1. Mix the aloe vera gel and essential oil until it blends together.
2. Pour the solution into a reusable silicone spray or tube.
3. Use the solution as needed to remove the virus from your hands.

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The above is how to make self-brewing hand sanitizer according to WHO from medical alcohol can be done at home. Hopefully through the article you will be able to make your own hand sanitizer successfully.

6. Note on how to dry hand sanitizer

1. If you choose an alcohol source that contains toxic impurities such as methanol or mix the wrong formula, the finished product will not have enough bactericidal ability and easily cause skin irritation. More serious is methanol poisoning if accidentally swallowed.
2. Chemicals and tools should be purchased at reputable and quality-assured medical supplies.
3. Glycerin should choose to buy botanical extracts at food / cosmetic ingredients stores.
4. Tools used to prepare should be washed with soap or disinfected with boiling water.
5. During the process, gloves should be worn to avoid skin irritation. Avoid splashing solution in the eyes.

7. Conclusion

An important reason to keep your hands clean is because the germs are often spread by people who have a habit of sneezing or coughing into their hands. They then touch us directly - through a handshake, for example - or they touch a certain surface and store germs. Then when we touch that elevator or doorknob, the germs stay on our hands and then when we rub our eyes or nose, the virus officially enters the body.

About 80% of all infectious diseases are transmitted through direct and indirect contact. The germs are spread directly when people cough, sneeze or talk near us. And indirectly when a sick person touches commonly used items such as a remote control or a shopping cart in a supermarket, then we reuse them and touch the mouth, eyes, nose or an open wound with our hands.

To prevent this, the CDC recommends washing hands frequently and thoroughly for at least 20 seconds or more. The World Health Organization (WHO) says dry hands should be washed for even longer than that. 

Hand washing is the single most important thing a person can do for their health and it can be easily done on a regular basis. If you are unable to wash your hands normally, use the above (homemade) antibacterial water.

However, alcohol hand sanitizer is only effective if you rub it thoroughly and let your hands dry. If you just put a few drops on the palm of your hand and then wipe it off quickly, there is no effect. When your hands are dirty or greasy, according to the CDC, alcohol-based hand sanitizer will not do much.

It should be noted that the mobile devices you are using are also considered frequently touched objects. If interested, you can use alcohol to wipe them.

Lesley Montoya

Update 16 October 2020