Science teacher reveals how to make homemade hand sanitiser with only two ingredients
A science teacher has revealed how to make hand sanitiser in a sauce bottle as people struggle to find stock during the coronavirus outbreak.
As the outbreak continues, supermarket shelves have been stripped of everyday essentials such as hand sanitiser and toilet paper.
Australian science teacher and YouTuber Jacob Strickling showed how people at home can make their own hand sanitiser in a sauce bottle.
“Now it [the sanitiser] has to be alcoholic based and it needs to be a minimum of 60 per cent,” he said in the video.
“The alcohols that I see recommended are like isopropyl and also ethanol, but methylated spirits is actually 95 per cent ethanol.”
“The alcohol is quite effective against the virus.”
Alcohol is effective at killing microbes such as viruses and bacteria as it inactivates their proteins.
In the video, Mr Strickling makes the sanitiser out of aloe vera gel so the hands are protected against the stripping alcohol.
“Aloe vera will mix with the alcohol and will form a moisture layer gel to protect your skin from the alcohol,” he said.
To make the sanitiser yourself, you will need to peel the green skin off the aloe vera plant and put the clear gel into a blender.
He then blends the gel until it turns into a foam before mixing it in the methylated spirits.
Mr Strickling adds enough so the final mixture has an alcohol content greater than 60 per cent, which is “necessary to break down the envelope protein wall of the virus and destroy it”.
He then transfers the solution into a left-over barbecue sauce bottle that he had previously sterilised.
Showcasing the sanitiser on his hands, the teacher says “That feels wonderful, that feels very good.”
“Now I’ve got my very own virus stopper,” he said.
NOTE: While even the World Health Organisation offers recommendations for home-made handrub formulations, we urge our readers to exercise caution as home-made solutions such as Mr Strickling's can potentially damage the skin if the alcohol is diluted incorrectly.