“People Should Not Make Hand Sanitizers At Home”, Experts Advice

The shortage of hand sanitizers is almost expected, considering that the coronavirus pandemic has been in full onslaught for months and has instilled fear in many people.

Thus, the reason people are creating their own hand sanitizers at home to alleviate the shortage of store-bought sanitizers.

However, while creativity should be encouraged, it shouldn't be when it may pose a danger to you and the people around you. Healthcare professionals have drawn attention to homemade hand sanitizers and how they may be ineffective or even toxic.

The Ford and Drug Administration (FDA) has shared that it is aware of homemade sanitizers but that there is no "verifiable information" on the methods used to prepare them and how safe they are for use.

In the same vein, experts are raising awareness that homemade hand sanitizers are very difficult to prepare because the concentration of all ingredients used must be "just right."

If the ingredients are in excess proportions, then the product may damage the human skin, and when they are in low proportions, it will prove ineffective in killing any virus! Therefore, experts label homemade sanitizers a waste of resources when it is not created by an expert versatile with its preparation.

So, unless you can follow the FDA's guidelines to make hand sanitizers – which is statutorily for pharmacists and valid manufacturers, by the way – right down to the tee, you shouldn't be making hand sanitizers.

As for what to do with the continued shortage of hand sanitizers, the Center for Disease and Contamination (CDC) has reiterated that washing your hands with soap and water for no lesser than 20 seconds is better than using hand rubs.

Not only does it ensure optimal removal of dirt and microbial organisms, but it is also cheap and easy to find because soaps will always be available in stores. So, as the CDC advises, limit your use of hand sanitizers to only when you can't reach water and soap.

Stay safe!