Can’t get your hands on sanitiser? Chemist reveals her easy DIY recipes for alcohol wipes and cleaning products that actually work
- Australian supermarkets have almost completely sold out of hand sanitiser
- There are a number of DIY alternatives, including alcohol wipes, on the internet
- Sydney-based chemist Michelle Wong has doubled down on the recipes to copy
- But she cautions against copying some that don’t contain enough alcohol
- Coronavirus symptoms: what are they and should you see a doctor?
As supermarkets and chemists sell out of hand sanitisers and alcohol wipes amid panic buying caused by the coronavirus pandemic, Australians are turning to do-it-yourself recipes to make their own high-grade disinfectants.
Sydney-based chemist Michelle Wong said there are both ‘good and very bad’ examples of recipes being copied from the internet.
She said the key to making your own product is to ensure that the alcohol/ethanol used in the mixture is at least 60 percent proof, as lower strengths will not be effective in killing the virus.
The World Health Organisation (WHO) which has its own sanitiser concentrate recipe available, calls for 96 percent-proof ethanol (8,333ml), hydrogen peroxide three percent (417ml) and 98 percent glycerol (145ml).
Sydney-based chemist Michelle Wong said there are both ‘good and very bad’ examples of recipes being copied from the internet
The ethanol, or alcohol, kills the protein that surrounds the virus, disabling it before it can infect you.
The glycerol moisturises hands because alcohol can dry out your skin, and the hydrogen peroxide kills any remaining bacteria that might have grown while you made the recipe.
‘Aside from having a high alcohol concentration nothing else is considered as effective at killing the coronavirus,’ Ms Wong said on her YouTube channel Lab Muffin Beauty Science.
However, it’s a recipe meant for a 10-litre mixture, and most people won’t need that much.
Plenty of chemists have completely run out of hand sanitiser, which is prompting people to make their own
There is currently no known evidence to say that essential oils like lavender and tea tree will help stop the spread of this particular virus, so any DIY recipe containing only these ingredients is ineffective.
Australian hemp brand Mandala Dream Co recipe does include essential oils in its recommended mixture but only for their moisturising properties.
Otherwise they opt for one cup of aloe vera gel, one cup of rubbing alcohol, half a cup of distilled water and 80ml of vegetable glycerine.
‘We’ve also used oregano, lavender, tea tree, thyme and litsea,’ the company said on Instagram.
You can also try mixing one-third of a cup of aloe vera gel and two-thirds of a cup of 99 per cent rubbing alcohol to get the same result.
Ms Wong said those tempted to use strong drinking alcohol will not work, as it does not have a high enough concentration to kill the germs.
Australian hemp brand Mandala Dream Co (pictured) understands this and only adds essential oils into its recommended mixture because of their moisturising properties
Once you’ve applied the sanitiser it should stay ‘wet’ on your hands for 20 seconds, and there is no need to rinse them after
Once you’ve applied the sanitiser it should stay ‘wet’ on your hands for 20 seconds, and there is no need to rinse them after.
When it comes to making your own alcohol wipes, you’ll need to combine two cups of warm water with one cup of rubbing alcohol of at least 70 per cent alcohol concentration.
Then add in one tablespoon of dish soap and mix well.
Add this mixture to half a roll of paper towels in a storage container and dispense them as needed.
WHO is still recommending that people wash their hands with soap and water and use wipes and hand sanitiser as a last resort when they’re on the go.