CDC and World Health Organization (WHO) Hand Sanitizer
My recipe
68.25% strength
8oz. 91% isopropyl alcohol
*** I added 1/8tsp of skin oil vitamin E this means you will only use 38mL of distilled water.****
- Pour 6oz of Alcohol into glass jar
- Add 1tsp of hydrogen peroxide
- Add 1Tbsp of Glycerin
- 40mL of distilled water
- 1/8tsp of vitamin E skin oil
****This formula results in a very liquid solution that is best used with spray bottles.*****
Here is a recipe calculator that you can use to cut out the math and adapt to any size batch.
Update 8/23/20: I have been making and using this hand sanitizer since I first published this without issue and I will continue to make and use this method.
Here is the recipe that the calculator tool gave me for an 8oz batch
85% hand sanitizer formula
- Alcohol 195.33 mL
- Hydrogen peroxide 3% 9.88mL
- Glycerol (VG) 3.44mL
- Distilled water 28.35mL
““If you fill a bottle about two-thirds of the way with 90-91 percent alcohol and fill the remaining third with aloe, you will make sanitizer that is about 60 percent alcohol. To make it more concentrated, add up to 8 parts 91 percent alcohol and 2 parts aloe,” she says.”(Quaglia, Quaglia and Browne, 2020).
For those just tuning in I am a professional Registered Nurse and I am also a passionate DIY kinda gal. I do currently work for a local hospital, volunteer with my local homeless shelter health clinic, and Other major entities I will not be naming here. I rely on current evidence based research literature and that is what I am bringing you here today.
I was interested in making my own hand sanitizer long before COVID19 broke out. This virus has simply magnetized attention on the DIY recipes found online and has blown many of the recipes out of the water as being frauds aka incapable of killing off microorganisms, germs aka bacteria and viruses.
I found several informative web sites and YouTube videos and narrowed them down to the pertinent information.
Begin by making sure the information is legitimate and can be validated by referencing the WHO recipe.
WHO/CDC Approved Ingredients Only!
Ingredients must include
- 70% or higher Isopropyl alcohol or 99% ethanol
- 3% hydrogen peroxide
- Glycerin or aloe Vera gel but not both
- Distilled water is optimal but boiled and then cooled water is acceptable
- Coloring additives are acceptable but not necessary
**Xanthum gum and all thickening agents are discouraged by the WHO recipe to thicken. It is discouraged because they did not do testing and can not attest to the final solution alcohol strength.
Per the WHO “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.”
According to the CDC The final alcohol strength must be within the 60%-95% final solution strength in order to work against bacteria and viruses.
Bad Ingredients
Any and all other recipes are frauds and will not keep you safe from viruses and bacteria. Fraudulent dominant ingredients include
- Witch Hazel
- Alcohol- Vodka
- Castile soap
- Or any non alcohol based formulas
Approved Recipes
Supplies
- (2) 4oz spray bottles
- Measuring cup
- Measuring spoons
- Funnel
- Sanitized glass jar with lid for mixing
the WHO Instructions “Glycerol is added using a measuring cylinder. As glycerol is very viscous and sticks to the wall of the measuring cylinder, it should be rinsed with some sterile distilled or cold boiled water and then emptied into the bottle/tank.”
- Using then 40mL of distilled water rinse the funnel by adding the water into the funnel and jar.
- Apply the lid and vigorously shake
- Immediately pour into the spray bottles.
- As an extra measure allow it to sit for 72 hours before use.
I tried using a hand pump bottle as I did not have any more spray bottles the first time I made this and it failed horribly! I bought more aluminum spray bottles and the problem is solved.
Calculations for final solution strength!
68.25% hand sanitizer
6oz of 91% alcohol using a ratio of 3 to 1 of 8oz or 3/4.
0.75 x 91%= 68.25% alcohol
If 3/4 (6oz) of my recipe is 91% alcohol that will give me a finished diluted product of 8oz with a alcohol strength of 68.25%.
Hydrogen peroxide is used to sterilize the bottle and not for anti viral or any other purposes.
User Observations
This sanitizer felt much stronger to use than any store bought. I contribute this to the fact that there are far fewer emollients and oil additives thus leaving a direct alcohol to skin impact. Working in hospitals and healthcare for over 12 years I have used vast amounts of varying types of hand sanitizer.
My favorite so far are the foam sanitizers. I tried using a foam spray bottle but it clogged up and did not work. Once I cleared the clog only liquid came out and not foam. However this issue could have been due to user error. I will continue to look into this.
Online Recipes
While people may have good intentions and try and give out free advice, if it isn’t coming from a professional source then don’t do it. I have seen many recipes for hand sanitizer that simply use witch hazel or Castile soap and these are not approved by either the CDC or WHO as being effective against bacteria and viruses.
For example I found an informative YouTube video with a guy instructing the public on his interpretation and use the WHO foreign guidelines for healthcare workers on making hand sanitizer in large batch quantities. He has no medical affiliation and has good intentions. After careful review of his written instructions for one of his recipes in the video and his linked word document I discovered discrepancies in his calculations which I will share below.
The CDC has publicly discouraged DIY hand sanitizer. It is because the general public make mistakes, such as I have found here, in calculations and interpretations and do not posses the adequate testing equipment to test the final product alcohol strength. So it is best to buy pre made hand sanitizer when in doubt. However we find ourselves in a rare situation of having a global shortage so I have done my due diligence to bring you accurate, verified, and safe usable information.
The incorrect original recipe
“To make a 75% strength hand sanitizer with 91% Isopropyl alcohol start with 265mL of alcohol, 15mL of 3% hydrogen peroxide, 5mL glycerin, and enough water to fill to 320mL. Start with 1 cup + 4tsps of isopropyl alcohol to equal 265mL…”
This is where the mistake happens.
1cup=237mL
30mL=1oz
320mL-(237mL+4tsp (20mL))= 320mL-257mL=63mL
63mL-15mL hydrogen peroxide-5mL glycerin=43mL of distilled water
257mL x X= 320mL
257/320=X x 100
X=80.3%
So the isopropyl alcohol is 80.3% of the final solution.
Now take 91% x 80.3%= final solution alcohol strength
=73% final strength
The CDC advisory states that using alcohol strengths between 60%-95% is optimal so this recipe is within the safety guide lines. However the recipe is incorrect, has not been fixed, and is slightly miss leading.
Despite the CDC warning of public DIY hand sanitizer we are in a shortage for now and I have shared here the two formulas I have discovered and I have set myself to use for making 8oz batches.
Sources
(2010, 04). Guide to Local Production: WHO-recommended Handrub Formulations. World Health Organization International. Retrieved 03, 2020, from https://www.who.int/gpsc/5may/Guide_to_Local_Production.pdf
(2020, 01). https://soeasilydistracted.com/home/diy-homemade-disinfecting-hand-sanitizer-recipe-explained/. She easily distracted. Retrieved 01, 2020, from https://soeasilydistracted.com/home/diy-homemade-disinfecting-hand-sanitizer-recipe-explained/
Ariza, T. (2020, March 18). DIY Hand Sanitizer (That Actually Works!). Retrieved March 19, 2020, from https://thethingswellmake.com/diy-hand-sanitizer-that-actually-works/
Gutierrez, S. (2020, 03). Fight COVID-19 on the go with homemade hand sanitizer. Popular Science. Retrieved 03, 2020, from https://www.popsci.com/story/diy/diy-hand-sanitizer/
Quaglia, S., Quaglia, S. and Browne, G., 2020. How To: The Science Of Making Your Own Hand Sanitizer. [online] Inverse. Available at: <https://www.inverse.com/mind-body/the-science-of-making-your-own-hand-sanitizer> [Accessed 16 March 2020].
Show Me the Science – When & How to Use Hand Sanitizer in Community Settings. (2020, March 3). Retrieved March 19, 2020, from https://www.cdc.gov/handwashing/show-me-the-science-hand-sanitizer.html
https://youtu.be/WVvtF5uOX3Q
https://youtu.be/3TxjTDYOFg0
Thank you so much for all of your time and effort putting this information together to share! I was skimming through your recipes and saw something about making the sanitizer to work in a foam dispenser. Again, I was just skimming, so you might have mentioned this and the reason why it wouldn’t work but just thought I’d suggest it in case you didn’t. I make a foaming hand soap using many of the ingredients you listed. Is there any way to incorporate some liquid castile soap or something like it to create the foam in the hand sanitizer?
Off topic, but while I’m here I want to ask if you have any knowledge on UV light and it’s affect on covid-19 or where I can get more info on this. I have a uv light box that I bought years ago to clean my toothbrush heads which got me thinking about buying a cheap tanning bed and replace the bulbs with ones with the correct wavelength. Do you think it could be one more way to sanitize things around the house or maybe groceries before taking them inside?
Thank you for the suggestion on the foaming hand sanitizer and I do have another separate post dedicated to foaming hand sanitizer that is currently on the back burner. I was in the process of investigating the ingredients in commercial made foaming hand sanitizer in order to understand if the ingredients can #1. Can the ingredients Easily be obtained? #2. Are the ingredients affordable? #3. What is the key ingredient used in foaming hand sanitizer that makes it work in a foam bottle? As far as Castile soap is concerned I didn’t find any literature supporting its use in conjunction with isopropyl. I will eventually get back to this topic and either post directions on how to make it or I will post it as a DIY Fail.
My apologies I forgot to answer your other questions. As far as UV light is concerned it really depends on what you are cleaning and I wouldn’t encourage anyone to clean with anything other than approved methods such as an all purpose cleaner + baking soda. The baking soda acts as a scouring agent and offers no anti microbial benefits. The all purpose cleaner is a surfactant and in combination with the baking soda and physical force of scrubbing then it is as effective as a Lysol wipe https://www.consumerreports.org/cleaning/common-household-products-that-can-destroy-novel-coronavirus/. Wash clothes per normal by following the care instructions tag and with your normal detergent. As for cleaning groceries, I have been wiping things down by hand, letting them fully dry on a clean garbage bag, washing my hands, and then moving them into the house once fully dried. If you don’t allow things to dry completely then the microorganisms could survive and re infect your hand and other surfaces. There is too much ambiguity for me to recommend using a UV light, at least with wet cleaning you can see if something has dried or not. This wet to dry step is very important and I can’t stress it enough. This is also true for any time someone needs to give you a shot or take blood, 30 seconds cleaning with alcohol and 30 seconds of drying time, otherwise the microorganisms living in the skin don’t die.
Do not wear gloves or masks in public because this speeds up the transmission of infectious microorganisms. When people wear masks and gloves all over town, touching the steering wheel, shifter, keys, phone, purse, wallet, credit cards, self check out, grocery cart, gas pump, door handles and all while wearing the same pair of gloves without changing them or washing their hands in between each action than this is spreading disease faster. The masks are spreading disease faster for non infected individuals vs not wearing them at all. The reason for this is because again wearing a mask that goes all over town and then the person wearing it touches the front to re position it, or reaches under the mask to itch their face, I see a lot of people touching their phones directly to the contaminated mask and then put the phone in their purse or pocket. It takes years for nurses and doctors to learn sterile procedure, to learn clean procedure, to learn how to put on and take off gloves and masks without infecting ourselves and I can promise you that a lot of medical professionals are failing right now and are just as bad as the public. I have seen medical staff at my local hospital walking through the hallways with their surgical mask hanging down over their chin, this is a major health violation and cross contamination. If someone is sick and needs to go somewhere then that person should be wearing a mask to stop any saliva from passing to others while they are talking or breathing.