#HTE

How to Make DIY Hand Sanitizer

The COVID-19 scare/pandemic/crisis (pick one, depending on your politics) has led to hand sanitizer flying off of the shelves. Turns out it’s actually possible to make your own; the World Health Organization has provided freely downloadable instructions here [PDF].

I looked through the instructions, and it seems do-able–if you can get your hands on the ingredients (no small feat) and the lab gear (raid your local high school science lab?). Here are some sample pages, to illustrate what you’d need to get into:

It’s also worth noting that washing your hands thoroughly will also do the job. And for those of you working in high-traffic positions where you constantly have to wipe things down–yesterday I was at Tractor Supply, and the clerk wiped the checkout counter down after each customer–note that according to this microbiologist, 70% alcohol actually disinfects better than 91%.