Posted on 03/20/2020 11:34:30 PM PDT by Oshkalaboomboom
I have all of the ingredients to make my own hand sanitizer using alcohol, aloe vera and hydrogen peroxide. Every recipe I have read calls for putting the ingredients in a bowl or large measuring cup, adding the ingredients, stirring then pouring into a container for use or storage. I would imagine that by using this method there is always going to be a certain amount left in the mixing container. So my idea is to pour the ingredients into my storage bottle, putting the cap on, giving it a good shake to mix things up then leaving it for storage. So the question is will shaking it rather than stirring it damage the mixture or do something bizarre like creating vapors which will cause the bottle to swell and possibly explode?
Probably. But what I remember most is that the ingredients had to be at least 100Proof? Is that right?
The homemade sanitizer is a ruse.
(we’re buying the vodka to drink)
I made some today. The whisking was superior to stirring. The gel never consistently blended. I dont think youd get the consistency I got by shaking.
I plan to use two applications for sanitizing whenever we need it.
There have been articles about vodka distillers switching over to making sanitizer but that's the pure stuff. They dilute it to sell as a drink.
what is the ratio you use? Specifically the alcohol to gel?
I also have a smoothie maker, magic bullet type, that I never use for making smoothies. I use it to make my own peanut butter. I use the large container for that and don’t use the smaller containers at all. Maybe that would be better.
Someone posted the recipe in a comment a short time back here at FR, and I copied and saved it for a later date.
2/3 cup Isopropyl alcohol 91% (rubbing alcohol) 1/3 cup aloe vera gel Essential oil in your choice of fragrance (optional) A small or medium mixing bowl A spoon An empty container, such as a 3-ounce container from a travel toiletries kit A small piece of masking tape for labeling
Companies like Purell spend a lot of money to come up with the perfect formulation to feel and work good on your skin. This won't be as nice but it will do in a pinch.
It’s nigh unto impossible to get a hold of rubbing alcohol right now, but you can use vodka, instead. Aloe Vera gel is still available, but the price has gone up.
Regular Vodka isn’t strong enough to make hand sanitizer. Even 100 proof Vodka would only be 50% alcohol and it has to be at least 60% after you’ve mixed in your other ingredients for it to be effective. When distillers make Vodka it comes out pure then they dilute it to make it the correct alcohol content for sale to the public. So if they want to make hand sanitizer it’s easy for them. Once it’s made its way to the liquor store it’s too weak. The only drinking alcohol really suitable would be pure grain alcohol.
You could try using a silicone cooking spatula to scrape the bowl. They work well getting the last bit of cake batter out of the mixing bowl.
How to make your own hand sanitizer
Place 2/3 cup of rubbing alcohol (Isopropyl alcohol) in a bowl
Add 1/3 cup of aloe vera gel and mix well
Add 5-10 drops of essential oil and mix again
Ensure alcohol equals to 60% of mixture
Use a funnel to transfer to a liquid soap container
Ensure container is tightly sealed
Ethanol can be used instead of rubbing alcohol
Alternative non-alcohol methods swap one tablespoon of witch hazel and half a teaspoon of tea tree oil for the rubbing alcohol
I’m using peroxide instead of essential oil because I don’t really care how it smells. Peroxide will help kill off any bacteria still in the mix. To me that’s more essential.
They’re saying hand sanitizer must be at least 60% alcohol to be effective.
Soap and hot water to wash your hands works just as well.......
Even shaking a soapy mixture causes expansion - easiest way to handle it is to do some shaking, open the cap to release pressure and repeat a time or two - once all is mixed and ready to go, you can then leave the cap on and feel secure it won’t keep building pressure.
2 parts 90% alcohol 1 part aloe (or glycerin if no aloe available).
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