by Peggy Robin
Today’s Still Life with Robin column is going to be
one of the most hands-on, practical columns I’ve ever done. It’s how to make
hand sanitizer. You can’t find bottles or packets in any local store, and the few choices
available on Amazon included a 27 oz. pump bottle for $215. But it’s quick, simple and cheap to make it at home. Here’s how:
How to make hand sanitizer: Ingredients you'll need (still
available at any store – no run on these things….yet!)
2/3 cup 99% rubbing alcohol
1/3 cup aloe vera gel
Optional: 8-10 drops essential oil for fragrance
Bowl and spoon
Funnel
Empty liquid soap or hand sanitizer bottle
Optional: Gloves
Step 1: Mix the rubbing alcohol, aloe vera and optional
essential oil in a bowl with a spoon. Be careful to keep pure alcohol away from
your skin.
Step 2: Funnel the mixture into the empty bottle. Screw the
pump cap back on and voila, you have hand sanitizer.
These instructions came from Tom’s of Maine, https://www.tomsguide.com/news/how-to-make-hand-sanitizer-ingredients-for-making-it-at-home
- and if you visit this page you will find additional tips about mixing the
hand sanitizer safely and using it properly, plus tips about hand washing with
soap and water.
If you’d like to see how it’s done, here’s a quick video:
Now keep in mind that the use of hand sanitizer is best saved
for places where there's no easy access to soap and water. If you can get to a sink and hand soap, just go and wash your hands the normal way. That means for
at least 20 seconds.
the 20 seconds by singing “Happy Birthday
to You.” I don’t know how fast or slow
you sing, but when I tried it, I found that
it took me about 16 seconds -- and that
was at a very slow tempo. And it sure is
annoying to have that silly song
running through your head.
Want a better choice? I like the Jeopardy
“Think” music, which plays while
the contestants have exactly 30 seconds
to write down their questions to the
Final Jeopardy answer.
Here’s the Youtube version,
complete with countdown timer:
Not a Jeopardy fan? Want more choices? The LA Times has
helpfully put together its own top-ten 20-second handwashing playlist:
Finally – there’s a “Rickroll” version that would
have you run through a chorus of Rick Astley’s earworm, “Never Gonna Give You Up,” which runs for 30 seconds:
Only danger is, if you sing this song aloud in a public
washroom, someone may assault you and claim the “necessity
defense” – and no jury would ever convict!
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[* Yes, all right…it’s probably the ONLY practical column I’ve
ever done. Don’t worry – next week I’ll be back to nattering on about the usual
subjects: DC trivia, weird animal doings in and out of Rock Creek Park, my
troubles with online orders, or mail delivery, or clamshell packaging, or anything
else that prompts a little whining….and of course, that old standby, good for
any occasion: grammatical nit-picking.]
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Still Life with Robin is published on the Cleveland Park Listserv and on All Life Is Local on Saturdays.
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