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When water and soap are not available, what else can be done since sanitizer is in very short supply?

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Thinking outside the box here,, if you mean BAR soap, or hand soap in the squirt bottle,, how about dish liquid, or body wash, or even laundry detergent? I always seem to have lots of body wash from gifts.. or even shampoo? It's the friction that helps get the job done as much as the soap itself
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needtowashhair Mar 2020
That's not going to help. The critical part in handwashing is the rinse. Yes it's the physical friction that dislodges the dirt, in this case a virus. The main role of the soap is to act as a surfactant to keep it from settling back on the skin. Thus making it possible to be rinsed away. It's that rinse that gets rid of it.
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In my opinion people shouldn't d*ck around trying to make hand sanitizers, a lot of these homemade concoctions are worse than useless because they give people a false sense of safety. Germs and viruses don't magically jump from your hands so your best defence is to develop strategies to keep your hands away from your face until you can get to some soap and water -walking with them in your pockets, keeping them clenched prayer-like, carrying something in each hand can all serve as a reminder . Putting a mask, scarf or bandana over your face won't stop airborne transmission but it is an effective way to help you keep your hands away from your face.
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freqflyer Mar 2020
To keep my hands away from my face, I would need to wear boxing gloves :P It's not an easy habit to break.
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Earlybird, where did you find your aloe vera gel?   I haven't been able to find any around here

Riverdale, is the aloe gel you found pure gel, or is it mixed with some type of sunblock ingredient(s)?

FF, and others, I completely forgot about alcohol swabs, and I have a lot of them collected as samples from elder expos.   I think I even have a box of them someplace.    Great idea!
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Locally distilleries are making hand sanitizer. They are retooling their bottling lines. Their first priority is providing it free of charge to the hospitals and health care providers. Once those are well stocked up, they will be providing it to First Responders and then outwards into the community.

I have always been a soap and water person. Today at the grocery store, I used the wipes provided to wipe down the cart handle and kept them with me as I shopped. I only touched the item I needed and I wiped the Pin Pad before and after using it.
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MAYDAY Mar 2020
Prior to this, I used to rescue the grocery carts that were being kidnapped and dislodged into the nearby park.I rescued a lot before they were sent off to their mass grave at the bottom of the ditch. My sibling would warn me about the germs they may have... I didn't really care about that as much as knowing they were going to be dumped, (fun, i suppose to someone).
I returned quit a few. I must have looked weird.. One security guard always looked at coming back from the park, dog in tow next to cart; he would nod...yup I rescued a few... Not so many anymore. I would see a distant cart, and I would walk over and take it to its home..I told one clerk i found it stranded 2 blocks away.. She was shocked.. Dog and I were walking anyway... Just turned to be another route.
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Okay, this is what I heard last night from a doctor/scientist on the radio. Use a tiny bit of liquid Lysol and rub onto hands before going out for errands, such as the grocery store. This will help protect against contamination.

When you arrive back home from errands, wash hands thoroughly.

He also said this is a virus and Lysol is used to disinfect against a virus but hand sanitizers are used to protect against bacteria.

Bacterial and viral infections are not the same and are not treated the same.

Hey, if a scientist is doing this. He said it’s what he does. I like it!
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There are times when I am out and about running errands and I need a sanitizer. I used it for years and never got the flu. 60-70% alcohol with 30% Aloe Vera gel is most effective according to some medical sites. I called my local CVS pharmacist for confirmation and he stated 70% alcohol is most effective to use if making your own sanitizer along with 30% Aloe. I agree with cwillie about not touching ones face, but that is easier said and done. I would rather have some protection.
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needtowashhair Mar 2020
You need above 60% alcohol in the final mix for it to be effective. So you can't start out with 70% alcohol to mix with aloe vera, you need at least 91% alcohol before you mix it with aloe vera. If you use 70% then concentration in the final mix will be too low to be effective.
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Patathome, look for "Curad Alcohol Swabs". They come individually wrapped 2"x2" square, 70% isopropyl alcohol. A box usually have 100. These are the swabs that nurses use on your arm before giving you a shot.

I been using these swabs for years to clean my computer key board, mouse, and my flip phone. Hmmm, never thought about using them on my hands, they should work.
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Shell38314 Mar 2020
I forgot about those...Phlebotomist uses them as well to clean your arm to draw blood!

Good thinking freqflyer☺
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Add alcohol to a package of baby wipes. If you can find aloe vera gel in the sunblock aisle that comes in a bottle you can add alcohol to that. It is hard enough to find toilet paper and mostly nearly impossible to find wipes so we have done the above.
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Bought two large bottles of Aloe Vera gel. Plan to mix with alcohol. I only have 70% alcohol at home. Bought 3 bottles of apple cider vinegar at Costco's . Will use it if necessary.
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needtowashhair Mar 2020
Do not mix that 70% iso with aloe vera. You will render it useless. You need at least 60% alcohol in the final mix. You will be under that if you mix in aloe vera using the popular DIY hand sanitizer formula.

Use that 70% iso as it is.
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GardenArtist,
CVS brand Aftersun Aloe Vera gel. Recipe kindly posted by needhelpwithmom. Wishing you the best!
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GardenArtist Mar 2020
Thanks much!  I had been thinking along the line of herbal suppliers so I'm glad to know it's available at a regular drugstore.

And when I can find some healthy aloe in a garden center, I'll buy some.   Sure wish I had that great little aloe plant Dad had; it was busy sprouting new shoots and expanded quite a bit from its original size. 
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