To consider using vodka as a hand sanitiser?

[brindle]

I'm only semi-serious. But most of our local shops and online equivalents have sold out of hand sanitiser, including the antibacterial, alcohol free sanitisers that probably only protect against bacteria, not viruses like coronavirus. The small pharmacy round the corner does still have some 500ml bottles of Hibi hand rub but they've doubled the price to £19.99, and say they won't be able to get any more when it's gone.

I know that good old soap and water does the trick, but it's not always there when you need it, so having a bottle of something in your bag does seem like a sensible precaution. So I'm wondering, would a cheap-vodka hand rub do the job just as well as an overpriced bottle of the real thing? I've got a bottle in the cupboard that we won at the school Xmas fete tombola, and we're certainly not planning on drinking it.

I used cheap Vodka on dd1's hair when she had head lice🤣🤣.
I had tried everything and the health visitor told me to buy a bottle of cheap Vodka, rinse dd's hair with it.
It worked she never got nits again, when the rest of the class were constantly reinfected.

Order it on amazon...

They have tonnes in C London shops... maybe I should start an online shop lol

Seems like a waste of Vodka! Wash your hands well and make yourself a Vodka Soda.

Really easy to make your own.
Surgical spirit and aloe vera

If you're even semi-serious YABV, VU.

Anti-bacterial (hint, not anti-viral) gel isn't effective against viruses. You'd be better off wearing a pair of gloves.

But as for carrying a stash of Smirnoff around in a hip flask to mitigate the world's insanities, the idea is starting to have increasing appeal...

Amazon have increased their prices so much. I got 3 x 500ml bottles from Ebay in the end for £30.

Marie I’m sure the 60%+ alcohol gels are effective?

@shaz2OO4x0x - if that's meant to be humour, it's a massive fail. It shows a pretty shitty attitude towards certain social groups.

What a waste of good vodka.

@brindle cologne/eau de toilette are largely alcohol (about 80-90%). A bottle of Primarni's finest perfume will suffice as an emergency hand sanitiser if you can't wash your hands. Or Chanel No 5, which may work out cheaper than actual hand sanitiser if prices keep going up

just carry round some of the hotel mini soaps,

How will that help when out and about with no access to hot water?

We had a bearded dragon and i used a lot of anti bac gel. It had permanently damaged the skin on my hands. I'm 35 and my hands look like I'm 90. I don't really want to use the gel again unless absolutely necessary.anyone know of any other products to use that don't dry the skin out?

Snuggle, I'm guessing in a couple of weeks/months if you want to leave the house you probably won't have a choice but to use it.
But, obviously you'll only need it when out. When at home use plenty of hand cream between washes and you should keep them from getting sore.

I think people must be flogging them on eBay. On another thread a poster said she’d been to a shop to buy hand gel and the manager said he’d had delivery of 100 units that day. The first customer in the door when he opened bought them all.

People are either selfish, neurotic or have an eye for the main chance, as ever.

I have bought some isopropyl alcohol and aloe gel already as hand sanitiser and hibiscrub wash for dds friend, who doesn’t get on with hand soap!! All on Amazon....

Don't use alcohol like isopropyl to sanitise unless it's diluted -I read that pure alcohols don't help. Looking for 70% alcohol not pure alcohol!

ferretface
Yes, that’s why I have the Aloe gel 70/30. Approx dilution. The isopropyl is 99.9%. But there are also ones on the market at 70% alcohol....

If there is one thing we can learn from this, is people are going to have a massive glut of hand san after this quiets down. I'd rather keep the money and buy a beautiful dinner!

I was reading something the other day that said the temperature of the water you wash your hands with doesn't matter, it does not have to be hot.

Ooh thanks for the tip re hibiscrub. I hadn't thought of that and I have a big bottle in the "dog" cupboard.

I was thinking any hand gel with >60% alcohol content would be effective if there's no hand washing option. I suspect that broadly corresponds to the ones that say "highly flammable".

@MarieIVanArkleStinks @jupiter I'm pretty sure that antibac with 60%+ alcohol does kill viruses

ineedaholidaynow I remember being told that years ago when I worked in a bakery and we only had cold water for staff to wash hands. Certainly the health inspectors at the time didn't think cold water was a problem so long as we had soap.

Best get Absinth instead OP .

I wouldn't do it but then I cannot really afford to buy bottles of vodka to begin with.