Today’s Solutions: October 03, 2024

By now you must surely be aware that washing your hands clean is necessary to keep you and others protected during the pandemic. You’ve also probably gone through a bottle or two of Purell, and feel a bit tired of buying more expensive hand sanitizers. The good news is you can make your own hand sanitizer with stuff you (maybe) already have at home. Without further ado, here are two recipes from WIRED for making a DIY hand sanitizer at home.

The quick (gel) recipe

For this recipe, all you need is aloe vera gel, Isopropyl alcohol, and tea tree oil. Mix 3 parts isopropyl alcohol to 1 part aloe vera gel, and a few drops of tea tree oil to give it a pleasant scent.

The better (spray) recipe

The aloe mixture gets the job done, but aloe also leaves your skin annoyingly sticky. So, here’s a recipe that’s less sticky and more potent, based on the mix recommended by the WHO: Isopropyl alcohol, glycerol or glycerin, hydrogen peroxide, distilled water, and a spray bottle. Mix 12 fluid ounces of alcohol with 2 teaspoons of glycerol. You can buy jugs of glycerol online, and it’s an important ingredient because it keeps the alcohol from drying out your hands. 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.

Mix in 1 tablespoon of hydrogen peroxide, then 3 fluid ounces of distilled or boiled (then cooled) water. (If you’re working with a lower-concentration solution of rubbing alcohol, use far less water; remember, at least ¾ of your final mixture has to be alcohol.) 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.

If you must, you can add a splash of essential oil to your concoction to make it smell nice. Just don’t use lavender. Everyone else uses lavender, and your sanitizer is superior.

Solutions News Source Print this article
More of Today's Solutions

Thailand set to legalize same-sex marriage in January 2024

BY THE OPTIMIST DAILY EDITORIAL TEAM Thailand has made a significant step toward LGBTQ+ equality by becoming Southeast Asia's first country to legalize same-sex ...

Read More

How aromatherapy may enhance brain health and cognitive function

BY THE OPTIMIST DAILY EDITORIAL TEAM Aromatherapy is often linked to relaxing and creating a peaceful environment, but new research suggests it may provide ...

Read More

Iceland recommends this natural remedy to help with social isolation

Given that humans are by nature social animals, in a time when close contact and embracing are discouraged to slow the spread of the ...

Read More

These are the inaugural winners of the Earthshot Prize

We have previously wrote about Earthshot Prize nominee Vinisha Umashankar, a clever 14-year-old student from Tamil Nadu who created a mobile ironing cart that ...

Read More