Members of our Discussion Board have been discussing methods for making hand sanitizer. Here’s one option, the World Health Organization published a guide to local production of hand sanitizer. It provides a standard recipe for both ethanol and isopropyl alcohol based hand sanitizers. Here’s the standard recipe for ethanol based hand sanitizer:
For a 10 Liter Batch:
8,333ml – Ethanol 96%
417ml – Hydrogen peroxide 3%
145ml – Glycerol 98%
[remainder to 10L] Sterile distilled or boiled cold water
Notes:
• Glycerol: used as humectant, but other emollients may be used for skin care, provided that they are cheap, widely available and miscible in water and alcohol and do not add to toxicity,
or promote allergy.
• Hydrogen peroxide: used to inactivate contaminating bacterial spores in the solution and is not an active substance for hand antisepsis.
• Any further additive to both formulations should be clearly labelled and be non-toxic in case of accidental ingestion.
• A colorant may be added to allow differentiation from other fluids, but should not add to toxicity, promote allergy, or interfere with antimicrobial properties. The addition of perfumes or dyes is
not recommended due to risk of allergic reactions.
Full guide to make hand sanitizer at World Health Organization (pdf) and discussion continues on our ProBrewer Community Covid-19 Crisis Center.