How to make Homemade Hand Sanitizer and Disinfectant wipes

The Corona virus is affecting almost every person on the planet right now in one way or another. From going out of the house to shop to working at our essential jobs. For some people it is inevitable that we leave the house to purchase groceries, supplies and work. Personally, having a parent that is an essential worker and leaves the house to work and retrieve supplies.

I fear my father may contract the virus and end up spreading the virus in our home. The downside of all of this is losing the notion of being protected when we go out. People as a whole are looking for something that will deter the virus from traveling with them back to our homes. Especially if the number one place the virus would show up is on our hands and objects we bought or ordered from the store.

The answer is hand sanitizer and disinfectant wipes. The stores are running out of these products and some people online are selling these for outrageous amounts. So my mother came up with two simple recipes that use household products. They whip up some very strong hand sanitizers and disinfectant wipes. Cleaning objects from the store with the wipes and cleansing our hands can help slow the spread of this deadly virus.

The 5 things you will need are:

1. 50-90% Rubbing alcohol

2. Aloe vera gel

3. A bottle with a nozzle or jar

4. Baby wipes (any kind)

5. (Optional) essential oils; such as Lavender, Peppermint, eucalyptus, Tea tree, etc.

Note: I suggest adding about 8-10 drops of essential oil for added benefits when supplementing with hand sanitizer. As for the wipes I do not suggest adding oil as the object you are wiping down may become a bit oily and slippery. But in hand sanitizer the oil will be absorbed into the hands.

I definitely recommend tea tree oil. Tea tree oil is a natural anti-bacterial, anti-fungal, and a natural anti-inflammatory. Numerous studies have been done touting its healing properties. This oil even helps diminish scars and blemishes, so if you wanted to apply this to the skin (other than the hands) this would aid with overall appearance as well.

Lavender oil is great for chapped and cracked skin. The oil is also used for relaxation and helps with bites from insects as well. The lavender even helps with minor burns and scrapes, so applying this to the hands may help heal if they are injured. This oil in my opinion has a great smell.

Peppermint oil is a natural anti-fungal, anti-microbial, and anti-viral oil that is very good on the hands. This oil not only has a wonderful smell but also promotes radiant skin leaving your hands with a natural shine.

Eucalyptus oil: Similar to the other oils Eucalyptus oil is a natural anti-bacterial, anti-viral, and anti-inflammatory. This oil also works as a deodorant leaving your hands smelling and feeling fresh.

Lemongrass oil: Lemongrass oil is a natural skin toner and skin refresher. This oil also soothes muscles and helps to cure those aches and pains in the hands and joints. Definitely recommended to help with the appearance and overall hand health.

A couple of things to keep in mind before you combine this formula is to make sure you wash your hands with regular soap and make sure your jar or nozzle bottle is clean and washed out for the hand sanitizer.

For the hand sanitizer (depending on how much alcohol or aloe vera gel you have) have TWO parts Alcohol and ONE part aloe vera.

For example: 2 cups of alcohol and 1 part aloe vera gel or 4 cups of alcohol 2 cups of aloe vera gel etc. Then shake and let sit for a couple hours. Allow the alcohol, aloe vera, and oil to mix. Then use whenever you like.

For the disinfectant wipes open up the packet and pour 1/3 of a cup onto the wipes. Close the packet and squeeze the packet around spreading the alcohol. If you feel that the amount of alcohol is not enough, pour 1/8 of a cup more until the level of potency is desired.

Another thing to keep in mind is if your skin is susceptible to getting dry very quickly and potentially irritated the best thing to do is to use a lower concentration of alcohol. This will not be as strong, but it will help with the irritation. Also add some of the essential oils suggested above. They will help with irritation and some of the suggestions have healing properties. Use a less concentrated alcohol for the disinfectant wipes to help with the irritation.

Of course when you're using this hand sanitizer be sure to rub it all in until your hands are dry and there are no signs of the sanitizer other than the smell.

Lastly hand sanitizer and disinfectant wipes is a great way to help prevent spreading this deadly and very contagious virus and just keeping your hands and objects clean from bacteria in general. It’s been proven multiple times that a human's mouth is cleaner than a human hand! If you have extra containers lying around the house you can make little portable hand sanitizers that you can travel with.

This formula worked for me and my family. We use these products on a daily bases and they work for us. I am not a professional and I continue to use these products everywhere I go. We also wipe down our groceries and supplies with the wipes we make.