# I didn't want to have to do it but the Purell is now under lock and key. **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [April 2, 2020, 5:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-didnt-want-to-have-to-do-it-but-the-purell-is-now-under-lock-and-key/850865 "2020-04-02T05:42:13Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 17\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Larry\_Borgia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/larry_borgia/32/156_2.png) [@Larry\_Borgia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Larry_Borgia)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2020, 7:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-didnt-want-to-have-to-do-it-but-the-purell-is-now-under-lock-and-key/850865/21 "2020-04-02T19:09:08Z")
Don’t people have soap and water at home? And isn’t that more effective than hand sanitazer against the coronavirus. ---
**Author:** ![kaylasdad99](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kaylasdad99/32/3398_2.png) [@kaylasdad99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kaylasdad99)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2020, 7:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-didnt-want-to-have-to-do-it-but-the-purell-is-now-under-lock-and-key/850865/22 "2020-04-02T19:47:06Z")
Word. I use soap and water several times a day at work, and never touch the Purell OR the coconut stuff. I also don’t wear the nitrile gloves that are available in the Tools and Parts. My supervisor likes giving me a hard time about it, but I’ma hold off until they start making it compulsory. ---
**Author:** ![eschrodinger](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eschrodinger/32/122_2.png) [@eschrodinger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eschrodinger)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2020, 8:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-didnt-want-to-have-to-do-it-but-the-purell-is-now-under-lock-and-key/850865/23 "2020-04-02T20:05:29Z")
My partner, who is in an essential job, had the hand sanitizer from her desk taken. Only other employees have access. We have enough sanitizer for my purposes, which is to take a small travel size bottle with me whenever I go out. If I can wash hands, I do, but if I’m in a store, I use it.multiple times per trip. I have allergies, so I wind up rubbing my nose regularly. Every time I do, I use sanitizer to protect others. After touching stuff, or just periodically, I use it to protect me. I also have the stuff to make it, and I tested that out because I wanted to offer neighbors the chance.to get refills of their travel size bottles, and I could only do that if I felt confident that I had an ample supply. The stores were all out of 91% or higher isopropyl alcohol, so I picked up a bottle of 190 proof Everclear. There’s nothing wrong with using ethyl alcohol – it’s what many commercial sanitizers, including Purell are made with, but the trick is it has to be high enough proof. 190 proof is 95% alcohol. The mixture after you add a moisturizer has to be 60% or more alcohol. So, if you want to make your own, you need to be sure you know how to do the math accurately. Anyone know if glycerine also needs to be heated? A test batch I made in a small bottle seemed to be adequately mixed. ---
**Author:** ![Jackmannii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackmannii/32/311_2.png) [@Jackmannii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackmannii)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2020, 9:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-didnt-want-to-have-to-do-it-but-the-purell-is-now-under-lock-and-key/850865/24 "2020-04-02T21:39:53Z")
> [@CarnalK](#): > > That’s awesome! But you should go buy a cheap camera now. 😉 Or an even cheaper fake camera. ---
**Author:** ![psychobunny](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/54ee81/32.png) [@psychobunny](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/psychobunny)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2020, 9:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-didnt-want-to-have-to-do-it-but-the-purell-is-now-under-lock-and-key/850865/25 "2020-04-02T21:53:50Z")
It looks like I am not the only one. What makes me mad is that this is a medical office. Luckily, I have been sourcing soap (liquid soap has been hard to find) and have 2 gallons in stock and I just got in a new case of gloves. I understand wanting to have hand sanitizer at home but we need it. Even though I wash my hands before and after each patient, I use hand sanitizer every time I touch my computer keyboard, to clean my stethoscope and pulse oximeter after each use, etc. Now we are dangerously low. What makes it worse is that I am pretty sure it is one of my staff. ---
**Author:** ![Atamasama](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/atamasama/32/12961_2.png) [@Atamasama](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atamasama)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2020, 9:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-didnt-want-to-have-to-do-it-but-the-purell-is-now-under-lock-and-key/850865/26 "2020-04-02T21:55:37Z")
> [@kaylasdad99](#): > > Word. I use soap and water several times a day at work, and never touch the Purell OR the coconut stuff. Same here. I find hand sanitizer unpleasant and really, if someone sneezed on you and got snot on your hands would you think hand sanitizer would fix it? I use water, soap, and vigorous hand washing multiple times a day. I’ve always done that, I just do it a little more now. ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2020, 10:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-didnt-want-to-have-to-do-it-but-the-purell-is-now-under-lock-and-key/850865/27 "2020-04-02T22:51:16Z")
> [@Velocity](#): > > Not to turn this into a GQ thread, but what’s wrong with pure isopropryl alcohol (or just a flask of some ultra-high-proof alcoholic beverage) and splash onto your hands a bit and rub? Is it that it’ll dry/crack your skin? (I assume germ-killing is no problem) Yes, that last part. Cracked skin puts a hole in the skin barrier. And even if the virus can’t get in that way, they make easy places you are less likely to clean thoroughly (because it hurts) and thus places where the virus can get out. (Full disclosure–I don’t know if the virus can get in through cuts, but I would guess not since I’ve not seen it mentioned.) I’m also assuming that by “pure isopropyl alcohol,” you mean the diluted stuff you can (or used to be able to) get from the store. It’s usually around 70%, which is okay for killing germs. But higher values like 90% or higher actually have less of an effect because it dries out too fast, IIRC. The sweet spot is 60%. I don’t know what concentration you need for ethanol. ---
**Author:** ![Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/13edae/32.png) [@Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stranger_On_A_Train)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2020, 12:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-didnt-want-to-have-to-do-it-but-the-purell-is-now-under-lock-and-key/850865/28 "2020-04-03T00:15:13Z")
> [@BigT](#): > > Yes, that last part. Cracked skin puts a hole in the skin barrier. And even if the virus can’t get in that way, they make easy places you are less likely to clean thoroughly (because it hurts) and thus places where the virus can get out. (Full disclosure–I don’t know if the virus can get in through cuts, but I would guess not since I’ve not seen it mentioned.) The SARS-CoV-2 virus seems to be localized in the respiratory system, and in general most common viruses don’t penetrate the skin except for _papillomaviruses_ and some members of _Herpesviridae_. The bigger concern with broken skin is bacterial infection and in particular _Staphylococcus aureus_ which can cause systemic inflammation in people and many strains of which have acquired strong resistance to broad spectrum antibiotic treatments. > [@BigT](#): > > I’m also assuming that by “pure isopropyl alcohol,” you mean the diluted stuff you can (or used to be able to) get from the store. It’s usually around 70%, which is okay for killing germs. But higher values like 90% or higher actually have less of an effect because it dries out too fast, IIRC. The sweet spot is 60%. > > I don’t know what concentration you need for ethanol. You can find 91% isopropyl alcohol at any pharmacy or medical supply store. It is not true that higher concentrations “have less of an effect because it dries out too fast”; in fact, the hygroscopic mechanism is what gives it antimicrobial properties which is more potent at greater concentrations. However, a ~70% solution is entirely adequate to kill virtually all bacteria and viruses (fungi not so much) and efficacy drops off dramatically below 60% so that should be regarded as the minimum for sterilization use rather than “the sweet spot”. High concentration ethyl alcohol will also work but not with quite the same rate of speed; again, 60% is the minimum and higher concentrations assure more complete sterilization. But soap or detergent and water is really the best because instead of just desiccating the pathogen it actively breaks down the lipid structures (capsids and cellular envelope) that protect the genome in viruses and contain hydrostatic pressure in bacteria, and also interfere with the basic structure and function of most fungi and more complex pathogens. Stranger ---
**Author:** ![wolfpup](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wolfpup/32/10618_2.png) [@wolfpup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolfpup)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2020, 1:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-didnt-want-to-have-to-do-it-but-the-purell-is-now-under-lock-and-key/850865/29 "2020-04-03T01:31:10Z")
> [@Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](#): > > You can make hand sanitizer using isopropyl alcohol, aloe lotion, and some optional essential oils to give it a more pleasant aroma. Just heat up the aloe so it mixes smoothly and make sure the alcohol content is above 60%. You can indeed, except for the small problem that isopropyl alcohol is equally as impossible to get around here as hand sanitizer. The stuff I usually buy is 99% isopropyl alcohol; the 70% stuff is commonly referred to here as “rubbing alcohol”. Neither is available anywhere. Fortunately I have a very small supply of the 99% stuff left that I only use in tiny quantities for cleaning purposes. > [@Velocity](#): > > Not to turn this into a GQ thread, but what’s wrong with pure isopropryl alcohol (or just a flask of some ultra-high-proof alcoholic beverage) and splash onto your hands a bit and rub? Is it that it’ll dry/crack your skin? (I assume germ-killing is no problem) I remember reading in some medical article that pure isopropyl alcohol becomes more effective as a disinfectant when somewhat diluted with a small quantity of water. The reason was never explained. Anyway, yes, pure alcohol or a very high-proof beverage would wash the natural oils off you hands and cause skin dryness, cracking, and possibly even skin cracks that bleed. I’ve sometimes gotten those spontaneously during cold winter months when it’s very dry inside, though thankfully not this year. Pure or just water-diluted alcohol is also very thin, whereas proper hand sanitizer or stuff that is homemade with aloe vera gel has a thick, gel-like consistency that makes it much easier to thoroughly spread all over your hands. I used to shun the stuff because I didn’t want to get “goop” all over my hands, but when it dries in twenty seconds or less your hands feel perfectly normal. The alcohol evaporates and the moisturizing gel gets absorbed. ---
**Author:** ![Mama\_Zappa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/71e660/32.png) [@Mama\_Zappa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mama_Zappa)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2020, 2:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-didnt-want-to-have-to-do-it-but-the-purell-is-now-under-lock-and-key/850865/30 "2020-04-03T02:33:39Z")
> [@kayaker](#): > > She’s welcome to return, although if she doesn’t I’m cool with that, too. You were brilliant… until you admitted you did not actually have a camera :D. Also, people suck. ---
**Author:** ![hajario](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hajario/32/171_2.png) [@hajario](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hajario)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2020, 2:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-didnt-want-to-have-to-do-it-but-the-purell-is-now-under-lock-and-key/850865/31 "2020-04-03T02:47:12Z")
Back in the old days, I bought a pint of 99% IPA on Amazon. I use it to clean the gunk out of my vape pen. A little goes a long way so it’s nearly full. ---
**Author:** ![flatlined](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/eb9ed0/32.png) [@flatlined](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/flatlined)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2020, 4:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-didnt-want-to-have-to-do-it-but-the-purell-is-now-under-lock-and-key/850865/32 "2020-04-03T04:15:04Z")
Just cause, I checked Smile.Amazon \* for hand sanitizer just now. You know how you sometimes see something that makes you sit back to process for a while. Here’s mine for the day _Available only for hospitals and government agencies directly responding to COVID-19_ - Shameless shilling for charities here: If you log into [Smile.Amazon.com](http://Smile.Amazon.com), and pick your favorite charity, your purchase will cost the same but a few pennies per hundred dollars will go to your charity. I know it doesn’t seem like much, but if many people do this, it will add up. ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2020, 7:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-didnt-want-to-have-to-do-it-but-the-purell-is-now-under-lock-and-key/850865/33 "2020-04-03T19:27:05Z")
One of my sisters has been making hand sanitizer for Amway and their supply of alcohol is dwindling. Some of their other products are so hazardous that the employees wear something similar to hazmat suits; a bunch of high level supervisors recently toured her department and evidently took the hazmat respirators with them. ---
**Author:** ![Morgyn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/morgyn/32/3041_2.png) [@Morgyn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Morgyn)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2020, 9:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-didnt-want-to-have-to-do-it-but-the-purell-is-now-under-lock-and-key/850865/34 "2020-04-03T21:00:19Z")
> [@flatlined](#): > > - Shameless shilling for charities here: If you log into [Smile.Amazon.com](http://Smile.Amazon.com), and pick your favorite charity, your purchase will cost the same but a few pennies per hundred dollars will go to your charity. I know it doesn’t seem like much, but if many people do this, it will add up. Doctors without Borders is mine, and they usually get $50+ each year. ---
**Author:** ![Guest-starring\_Id](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guest-starring_id/32/21736_2.png) [@Guest-starring\_Id](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guest-starring_Id)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2020, 10:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-didnt-want-to-have-to-do-it-but-the-purell-is-now-under-lock-and-key/850865/35 "2020-04-03T22:35:57Z")
> [@hajario](#): > > Back in the old days, I bought a pint of 99% IPA on Amazon. I use it to clean the gunk out of my vape pen. A little goes a long way so it’s nearly full. Heh, try using it on an enail bong - pretty well have to use up most of the bottle. Cleaned it out a while back and saved the used isopropyl (yellowy now) to see if it can be reused for the next cleaning. Crossing my fingers it can reused for multiple cleanings - this is obviously a first world problem, and if the 99% _ever_ gets restocked again, I’m not sure I’d feel all that…savoury? grabbing an item that others may need _much_ more direly. I heard, recently, though, that ethanol can make an ok cleaning substitute for cleaning off any resinous shit. Used some sanitizer before entering a London Drugs yesterday and whoa the shit smelled like fucking patchouli or something. ---
**Author:** ![Merneith](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/57b2e6/32.png) [@Merneith](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Merneith)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2020, 8:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-didnt-want-to-have-to-do-it-but-the-purell-is-now-under-lock-and-key/850865/36 "2020-04-05T08:11:09Z")
> [@Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](#): > > You can make hand sanitizer using isopropyl alcohol, aloe lotion, and some optional essential oils to give it a more pleasant aroma. Just heat up the aloe so it mixes smoothly and make sure the alcohol content is above 60%. > > Stranger What’s the ratio of alcohol to aloe gel? I have IPA and a sizable aloe plant that I’d like to keep alive. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2020, 6:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-didnt-want-to-have-to-do-it-but-the-purell-is-now-under-lock-and-key/850865/37 "2020-04-05T18:10:54Z")
> [@Mama\_Zappa](#): > > > [@kayaker](#): > > > > She’s welcome to return, although if she doesn’t I’m cool with that, too. > > You were brilliant… until you admitted you did not actually have a camera :D. It would far more fun, when she asked where the camera was hidden, just to point vaguely at the corner of the room. She will forever be looking for the thing. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-didnt-want-to-have-to-do-it-but-the-purell-is-now-under-lock-and-key/850865.md?page=1)