WHO recommends washing your hands regularly with soap and water to remove dirt and germs that may accumulate on hands. Sanitizers, on the other hand, render the bacteria and viruses on your hands, incapable of functioning by destroying their outer layer. Anyway, there may be some viruses that have a hard shell, making sanitizers not easy to kill them. Therefore, it is best to wash your hands once you have access to clean water and soap.
WHO provided us with a formula that allowed us to make a large batch of sanitizer. But most of us definitely don’t seek to go to commercial, just a small batch we require. Here are the fruit-based recipes.
a) Lychee Sanitizer
Lychee will give a unique sweet smell to the hand sanitizer.
Tools or Equipment:
- A container
- A stirring stick (preferably glass)
- Bottles to contain the sanitizer
*all of which must be sterilized.
Ingredients:
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1 tablespoon hydrogen peroxide (3%)
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1 cup Isopropyl alcohol (99.8%)
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¼ cup sterile, distilled water
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5 drops lychee essential oil
Instructions:
- Pour the alcohol into a sterilized container.
- Pour the hydrogen peroxide and use the sterile stick to mix.
- Pour the water and mix.
- Add 5 drops of lychee essential oil and mix until it is well combined.
- Transfer the mixture to sanitizer bottles.
- Finally, make a label mentioning Sanitizer and if possible, the ingredients you’ve added.
b.) Lemon Sanitizer
In case you cannot find isopropyl alcohol, you can turn to a substitute for your sanitizer. You can use 70% alcohol vodka. This is an important number as vodka with any less alcohol content will not be effective in killing germs and viruses. The WHO recommends using at least 60% alcohol to kill germs effectively. You can also use 80% or 90%, but that can be too harsh for the skin.
Ingredients:
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10 drops lemon essential oil
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10 drops tea tree essential oil
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1 cup 70% alcohol vodka
Instructions:
- Add the vodka to a sterile container.
- Add the lemon essential oil and mix using a sterile spoon or stick.
- Add tea tree oil and mix.
- Pour into a sterile dispenser.
c.) Green Apple Sanitizer
Ingredients:
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10 drops green apple essential oil
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10 drops tea tree oil
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1 cup 70% alcohol vodka
Instructions:
- Add vodka to a clean and sterile container.
- Pour the green apple essential oil followed by the tea tree oil and mix.
- Pour into sterile dispensers.
d.) Grapefruit Sanitizer
Grapefruit has antibacterial properties.
Ingredients:
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2/4 isopropyl alcohol (99%)
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1/3 cup sterile distilled water
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10 drops grapefruit essential oil
Instructions:
- Add alcohol to a container followed by the water and mix.
- Add the essential oil and mix till well combined.
- Pour into a sterile dispenser and use.