Tribune News Service

Amritsar, March 24

As people across the world are living under lockdown due to Covid-19 outbreak, hand sanitisers have become a weapon of mass protection, or so it seems. As hand sanitisers fly off the shelves of medical and grocery stores, there are some people who have come up with their own DIY recipes of sanitisers that are made using simple ingredients in the kitchen.

Manmeet Pal Kaur, a science teacher from the city, is one of them. She has been making hand sanitisers at home so that her stock is never low in this period of uncertainty. “Before the curfew and lockdown, I couldn’t find any hand sanitisers for my family. This made me look for some home remedies or ideas and I thought of using natural ingredients to make one,” said Manmeet.

She has made a hand sanitiser using simple ingredients such as isopropyl alcohol, apple cidar vinegar, glycerin, body oils and aloe vera and had been conducting workshops before the lockdown, for kids on health awareness.

She said: “The basic ingredient of any sanitiser is isopropyl alcohol, but we can also use ethanol-based products such as rubbing alcohols. If we do not have alcohol-based product, we can use apple cidar vinegar, which is found in most kitchens these days.”

She further said: “Mix isopropyl or any alcohol-based product with aloe vera in 2:1 ratio, along with glycerin mixed with water in 1:1 ratio. We can add essential oils or body oils such as sesame oil, coconut oil (only viable in summers) and almond oil to make natural and safe hand sanitisers.”

Manmeet is using kitchen remedies to ensure health and safety of her family during the lockdown. “Oiling neem or mango or peepal leaf in mustard oil and using it as a body rub also offers protection against germs. Since, we are under curfew and we cannot go out in case we fall short of sanitisers, these are simple methods to make sure your kids and family members are guarded,” she added.

She says that the current situation is a reminder of adopting nature-friendly lifestyle and going back to nature for good health.

Method

Mix isopropyl or any alcohol-based product with aloe vera in 2:1 ratio, along with glycerin mixed with water in 1:1 ratio. Add essential oils or body oils such as sesame oil, coconut oil (only viable in summers) and almond oil to make natural and safe hand sanitisers.