Do this. Don’t do that. Dr. Fauci said do it this way. CDC said don’t do it that way. Politicians, oh how the politicians complicate the matter. One can lose their mind listening to all this news (or as some say, fake news, depending upon your particular point of view). Well, let’s try to break through all this confusion by providing some undisputed facts!
KEEPING THE LID ON COVID-19 OVERVIEW: WASH YOUR HANDS!
In order to contain this disease, we should wash our hands for a good 20 seconds, but if you don’t have soap immediately available, use hand sanitizers and you should be carrying these cleansing items with you at all times.
As we know, COVID-19 is a respiratory virus that spreads through our eyes, nose and throat. Often, this virus enters your body through your hands by touching an object infected and then touching your face which is a leading cause for the virus to get into your body. So make sure you wash your hands frequently. This will minimize your chance of catching infections. (Wearing a mask is also just as important!).
If there aren’t any soap or hand sanitizers available, fret not. You can prepare antibacterial soaps and hand sanitizers at home. Here are a few simple ways to make them in next to no time.
DIY Antibacterial Hand/Body Soap
Ingredients
- Green soap – this is the most essential ingredient in this soap recipe. It is made from glycerin and vegetable oils and acts as a superb disinfectant.
- Distilled water – if not distilled water, use cold water.
- Neem oil – works brilliantly on dry skin. It restores moisture and enhances the skin.
- Essential Oils (tea tree essential oil, clove essential oil, rosemary essential oil, clove essential oil, oregano essential oil) – use all or any of these essential oils for refreshing smell and skin nourishment and enhancement.
- Vitamin E oil (optional) – for extra skin nourishment.
- Optiphen Plus – this soluble acid helps preserve the soap solution for good.
Tools
- Soap dispenser
- Hand or electric blender
- Large mixing bowl
Directions
- First, transfer the distilled water in a large mixing bowl.
- Add in the green soap, neem oil, essential oils, Optiphen plus and vitamin E oil (optional).
- With the blender, whip the ingredients until they combine well and become foamy.
- Pour the content into a soap dispenser and tada! The soap is prepared for everyday use.
Note:
- Green soaps are easily available in stores.
- There’s no hard and fast rule when it comes to using the essential oils listed here. You can use any essential oil according to your preference.
DIY Hand Sanitizer
Ingredients
- 1 cup of 99% pure isopropyl alcohol
- 1 tablespoon of 3% of stabilized hydrogen peroxide
- 1 teaspoon of 98% glycerin
- ¼ cup of sterile distilled water (or cold water)
Tools
- Measuring cup
- 1 pour spout
- Spray bottle(s)
- Clean spoon
- A medium-sized container
Directions
- Using the measuring cup, measure the alcohol, and pour it into the container with the pour spout.
- Mix in the hydrogen peroxide.
- Add in the glycerin and stir the mixture using the clean spoon.
- Now, pour in the water, making sure to measure it first.
- Transfer the prepared mixture into a spray bottle. Shake well before use.
Note:
- Keep in mind that when you mix the glycerin with alcohol, the mixture will be thick and it will take some time to mix everything together.
- If you prefer gel sanitizer, you will need to combine 1 cup of 91% isopropyl alcohol, ½ cup of aloe vera gel, and 15 drops of tea tree oil or any of your favorite antibacterial essential oil.
Note: If you think that vinegar is a good disinfectant, be careful. Although it is a great cleaning agent, it does not kill many viruses or bacteria. Disinfectants, which vinegar is not, is the agent that will do the job when cleaning away surfaces that may contain viruses, so if you are shopping for disinfectants besides soap and sanitizer, make sure the item specifically states ‘disinfectant’. .
DIY Disinfectant Spray
Ingredients
- 4 tablespoons of chlorine bleach
- 4 cups of water
Tools
- Spray bottle
- Pour spout
Directions
- Add the chlorine bleach in the spray bottle using the pour spout.
- Mix in the water.
- Shake thoroughly and spray on disinfected areas.
Note
- Bleach is extremely strong, so you should never mix it along with other chemicals when preparing a disinfectant spray for household commodities.
- When cleaning affected areas/spots using this DIY disinfectant spray, make sure to wear gloves.
DIY Disinfectant Cleaning Wipes
Ingredients
- ½ cup of vinegar – does a brilliant job at cleaning germs, molds, etc.
- ¼ cup of water
- ¼ cup of rubbing alcohol
- 1 teaspoon of liquid dish soap
- 10 drops of antibacterial essential oil (optional)
Tools
- 1 paper towel roll (better if eco-friendly)
- Knife
- Scissors
- Needle
- 1 spare coffee canister (with a lid)
- Bowl
Directions
- For creating cleaning wipes, you will need to cut the paper towels in half using the knife.
- Adjust the paper roll into the empty coffee can.
- Now, in the small bowl, mix the vinegar, dish soap, water, and rubbing alcohol. You can also add in your favorite essential oil for a fresh smell.
- Next, gently pour the prepared solution over the paper towels.
- Carefully remove the cardboard center and slightly pull the paper towel from the middle.
- Make a small hole in the middle of the lid, place the lid over the container, and pull out the paper towel from the hole.
Note:
- You can also paint the coffee container to make it look attractive.
- Use the DIY antibacterial wipes to clean tables, decorative pieces, etc.
Conclusion
With the outrageous spread of coronavirus, retailers are facing a hard time keeping up with the persistent demand for soaps, hand sanitizers and other purifiers. But there’s nothing to worry about if you can’t get your hands on them. You can prepare the home-made soaps, hand sanitizer and others by following our above-mentioned recipes and make it safe through the current pandemic.