# Why isn't my "home brew" hand sanitizer working "properly?" **URL:** \ **Category:** The Quarantine Zone\ **Tags:** covid-quarantine\ **Created:** [March 16, 2020, 12:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-isnt-my-home-brew-hand-sanitizer-working-properly/849579 "2020-03-16T12:26:36Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![2Bits](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/2/e95f7d/32.png) [@2Bits](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/2Bits)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2020, 12:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-isnt-my-home-brew-hand-sanitizer-working-properly/849579/1 "2020-03-16T12:26:36Z")
I was able to snag a few bottles of “Corn Huskers Lotion.” If you don’t already know, Corn Huskers Lotion is a “moisturizer” of sorts that’s been around for about 100 years. The first three ingredients are water, glycerin and alcohol. I figured I’d be able to blend it with additional alcohol but it really doesn’t want to mix no matter how vigorously it is shaken (even after sitting for 24 hours). Instead it’s like oil and water. Why? There’s already alcohol in there. ---
**Author:** ![Tom\_Terrific](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tom_terrific/32/342_2.png) [@Tom\_Terrific](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tom_Terrific)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2020, 1:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-isnt-my-home-brew-hand-sanitizer-working-properly/849579/2 "2020-03-16T13:01:17Z")
Ok, first of all I am not a chemist, but I believe that when you add the alcohol you are changing the ph of the solution. The ph is being raised and the emulsion is broken. ---
**Author:** ![2Bits](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/2/e95f7d/32.png) [@2Bits](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/2Bits)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2020, 1:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-isnt-my-home-brew-hand-sanitizer-working-properly/849579/3 "2020-03-16T13:05:42Z")
> [@Tom\_Terrific](#): > > Ok, first of all I am not a chemist, but I believe that when you add the alcohol you are changing the ph of the solution. The ph is being raised and the emulsion is broken. But the lotion already contains alcohol. And many commercial hand sanitizers are mostly glycerin and alcohol. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro ---
**Author:** ![EdelweissPirate](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/8491ac/32.png) [@EdelweissPirate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EdelweissPirate)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2020, 1:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-isnt-my-home-brew-hand-sanitizer-working-properly/849579/4 "2020-03-16T13:19:43Z")
> [@2Bits](#): > > But the lotion already contains alcohol. And many commercial hand sanitizers are mostly glycerin and alcohol. I’m definitely not a chemist either, but it seems to me that you’ll need to add an emulsifier. I’d bet that lotion doesn’t separate prior to adding extra alcohol. Doesn’t it stand to reason that the emulsified lotion is saturated (or nearly so) prior to your spiking it? If so, you may be exceeding the capacity of the emulsifier to incorporate alcohol. In other words, you might look at adding more glycerin (or another emulsifier) to your spiked lotion. ---
**Author:** ![2Bits](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/2/e95f7d/32.png) [@2Bits](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/2Bits)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2020, 1:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-isnt-my-home-brew-hand-sanitizer-working-properly/849579/5 "2020-03-16T13:22:31Z")
> [@Tom\_Terrific](#): > > Ok, first of all I am not a chemist, but I believe that when you add the alcohol you are changing the ph of the solution. The ph is being raised and the emulsion is broken. But the lotion already contains alcohol. And many commercial hand sanitizers are mostly glycerin and alcohol. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro ---
**Author:** ![bump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7c8e57/32.png) [@bump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bump)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2020, 1:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-isnt-my-home-brew-hand-sanitizer-working-properly/849579/6 "2020-03-16T13:40:01Z")
Why not just shake it up really well before you use it each time? ---
**Author:** ![DCnDC](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dcndc/32/2842_2.png) [@DCnDC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DCnDC)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2020, 1:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-isnt-my-home-brew-hand-sanitizer-working-properly/849579/7 "2020-03-16T13:41:10Z")
> [@2Bits](#): > > But the lotion already contains alcohol. And many commercial hand sanitizers are mostly glycerin and alcohol. “I have a finished cake. I feel it’s not dense enough, so I dumped a bag of flour on top of it. For some reason, the flour doesn’t want to incorporate into the cake. But it’s already got flour in it, so what’s the problem?!” ---
**Author:** ![Ike\_Witt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ike_witt/32/283_2.png) [@Ike\_Witt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ike_Witt)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2020, 1:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-isnt-my-home-brew-hand-sanitizer-working-properly/849579/8 "2020-03-16T13:42:02Z")
> [@2Bits](#): > > But the lotion already contains alcohol. And many commercial hand sanitizers are mostly glycerin and alcohol. You are missing the point. If you are baking a cake and want more cake you just can’t add more flour and get a bigger cake. You need more of everything to keep the ratios the same. The hand sanitizer you are trying to make is not in the proper ratios if you only adding one of the ingredients. ---
**Author:** ![Oredigger77](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/oredigger77/32/3181_2.png) [@Oredigger77](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Oredigger77)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2020, 1:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-isnt-my-home-brew-hand-sanitizer-working-properly/849579/9 "2020-03-16T13:42:19Z")
> [@2Bits](#): > > But the lotion already contains alcohol. And many commercial hand sanitizers are mostly glycerin and alcohol. > Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro I blend a lot of alcohol (mainly with cream). The pH is extremely important and just because you are just adding more of ingredients that are already present doesn’t mean you aren’t destroying carefully balanced rations. Think of it like making pancakes you take 2 cups of mix and add 2 cups of buttermilk if you then add 2 more cups of mix even though its already in there you’re screwing up your pancakes. ---
**Author:** ![2Bits](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/2/e95f7d/32.png) [@2Bits](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/2Bits)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2020, 1:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-isnt-my-home-brew-hand-sanitizer-working-properly/849579/10 "2020-03-16T13:55:05Z")
> [@bump](#): > > Why not just shake it up really well before you use it each time? I am. Kinda works. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro ---
**Author:** ![2Bits](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/2/e95f7d/32.png) [@2Bits](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/2Bits)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2020, 1:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-isnt-my-home-brew-hand-sanitizer-working-properly/849579/11 "2020-03-16T13:56:38Z")
> [@DCnDC](#): > > “I have a finished cake. I feel it’s not dense enough, so I dumped a bag of flour on top of it. For some reason, the flour doesn’t want to incorporate into the cake. But it’s already got flour in it, so what’s the problem?!” I get it. Makes sense. Thanks. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro ---
**Author:** ![kanicbird](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/5f8ce5/32.png) [@kanicbird](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kanicbird)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2020, 1:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-isnt-my-home-brew-hand-sanitizer-working-properly/849579/12 "2020-03-16T13:57:36Z")
You could leave them in 2 parts and combine them during use. ---
**Author:** ![Ike\_Witt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ike_witt/32/283_2.png) [@Ike\_Witt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ike_Witt)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2020, 2:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-isnt-my-home-brew-hand-sanitizer-working-properly/849579/13 "2020-03-16T14:07:57Z")
Now flour and alcohol are going to be forever linked in my mind thanks to this thread. ---
**Author:** ![crowmanyclouds](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crowmanyclouds/32/19884_2.png) [@crowmanyclouds](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/crowmanyclouds)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2020, 2:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-isnt-my-home-brew-hand-sanitizer-working-properly/849579/14 "2020-03-16T14:16:48Z")
A stack of hand sanitizer pancakes and a case of Corona. Breakfast of [DEL][COLOR=“Black”]Champions[/DEL][/COLOR] Contagious. CMC fnord! ---
**Author:** ![robby](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robby/32/11048_2.png) [@robby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/robby)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2020, 5:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-isnt-my-home-brew-hand-sanitizer-working-properly/849579/15 "2020-03-16T17:49:22Z")
> [@Tom\_Terrific](#): > > Ok, first of all I am not a chemist, but I believe that when you add the alcohol you are changing the ph of the solution. The ph is being raised and the emulsion is broken. Alcohols don’t typically disassociate in water, so their pH is neutral. Adding alcohol should therefore not change the pH. [Cite](https://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=540402). 😉 ---
**Author:** ![iamthewalrus\_3](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/258eb7/32.png) [@iamthewalrus\_3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iamthewalrus_3)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2020, 7:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-isnt-my-home-brew-hand-sanitizer-working-properly/849579/16 "2020-03-16T19:26:42Z")
> [@robby](#): > > Alcohols don’t typically disassociate in water, so their pH is neutral. Adding alcohol should therefore not change the pH. I’m also not a chemist, but if you add a neutral (pH=7) liquid to something with a non-neutral pH, won’t that bring the pH of the solution closer to 7? Which is a change. ---
**Author:** ![Oredigger77](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/oredigger77/32/3181_2.png) [@Oredigger77](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Oredigger77)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2020, 7:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-isnt-my-home-brew-hand-sanitizer-working-properly/849579/17 "2020-03-16T19:48:24Z")
> [@robby](#): > > Alcohols don’t typically disassociate in water, so their pH is neutral. Adding alcohol should therefore not change the pH. > > [Cite](https://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=540402). 😉 Man, that just isn’t true. [Most distilled spirits have a low pH](https://www.reference.com/world-view/ph-vodka-31204cf9d2abd5aa). ---
**Author:** ![robby](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robby/32/11048_2.png) [@robby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/robby)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2020, 9:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-isnt-my-home-brew-hand-sanitizer-working-properly/849579/18 "2020-03-16T21:42:41Z")
> [@Oredigger77](#): > > Man, that just isn’t true. [Most distilled spirits have a low pH](https://www.reference.com/world-view/ph-vodka-31204cf9d2abd5aa). That’s your cite? :rolleyes: An article on the pH of vodka? Vodka is only acidic because manufacturers [add citric acid](https://www.cooksinfo.com/vodka) to it. Also, vodka is not actually pure ethanol and water. There are other byproducts of the fermentation, distillation, and filtering process. > [@](#): > > …Vodka is meant to be a “neutral spirit”, and as such in theory should naturally have a pH in the 6.0 to 7.0 range. > > However, the pH of commercial vodkas ranges wildly. > > Many less-expensive American vodkas have a lower pH of around 4.0 because manufacturers are allowed to add citric acid to it up to 1,000 ppm, as a “balancing agent” for the taste. > > The citric acid lowers the pH of these vodkas. Sidebar: I also note that your cite is full of numerous other inaccuracies, such as its reference to neutralizing vodka “with water or fruit juice with a neutral or alkaline pH [that] can reduce its acidity.” Please show me a fruit juice with an alkaline pH. [Good luck with that.](https://www.ada.org/en/~/media/ADA/Public%20Programs/Files/JADA_The%20pH%20of%20beverages%20in%20the%20United%20States) Your cite goes on to state that this “reduces the likelihood of metabolic acidosis, or the buildup of lactic acid, which can lead to rosacea, body fat, tooth plaque and artery plaque, or cholesterol.” This is a bunch of pseudoscience at best. Your cite then brings up blood pH, which is even [less related](https://www.healthline.com/health/ph-of-blood#causes-of-abnormalities) to the pH of what you are drinking. > [@](#): > > In a healthy person, diet does not affect blood pH. Actual data on the pH of ethanol: > **[Ethanol](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ethanol)** > > .mw-parser-output .ib-chembox{border-collapse:collapse;text-align:left}.mw-parser-output .ib-chembox td,.mw-parser-output .ib-chembox th{border:1px solid #a2a9b1;width:40%}.mw-parser-output .ib-chembox td+td{width:60%} > Ethanol (also called ethyl alcohol, grain alcohol, drinking alcohol, or simply alcohol) is an organic compound with the chemical formula .mw-parser-output .template-chem2-su{display:inline-block;font-size:80%;line-height:1;vertical-align:-0.35em}.mw-parser-output .template-chem2-... > [@](#): > > Ethanol is a neutral molecule and the pH of a solution of ethanol in water is nearly 7.00. > **[Ethanol (C2H5OH)](https://www.jjstech.com/ethanolc2h5oh.html)** > > Ethanol (C2H5OH) - Ethanol (C2H5OH) Ethanol, also called ethyl alcohol, pure alcohol, grain alcohol, or drinking alcohol, is a volatile, flammable, colorless liquid. It is a psychoactive drug, best ... > [@](#): > > Ethanol’s hydroxyl group causes the molecule to be slightly basic. It is almost neutral like water. The pH of 100% ethanol is 7.33, compared to 7.00 for pure water. There are a couple of things to note about this. First off, a non-chemist would never encounter 100% ethanol. You would instead be dealing with a solution of ethanol in water (i.e. an aqueous solution). Because ethanol is a weaker acid (or base) than water itself, the pH of an aqueous solution of ethanol is very nearly neutral. In any event, the OP is more likely referring to rubbing alcohol (isopropyl alcohol). > **[Properties of Isopropyl Alcohol](https://sciencing.com/properties-isopropyl-alcohol-8299115.html)** > > Isopropyl alcohol, or 2-propanol, is sold as rubbing alcohol in many supermarkets and drugstores. It belongs to a class of organic compounds called alcohols, all of which are distinguished by an -OH group attached to their carbon chain. Many of... > [@](#): > > Isopropyl alcohol mixes very well with water; rubbing alcohol sold at drugstores, for example, is a mixture of 2-propanol and water. The acidity of a compound is often measured in terms of its pKa, in which lower numbers denote higher acidity. Isopropyl alcohol has a pKa of 17.1. It is an extremely weak acid – weaker than water, which has a pKa of 15.7. Again, because isopropyl alcohol is a weaker acid than water itself, the pH of a mixture of isopropyl alcohol and water is is very nearly neutral. [https://www.columbuschemical.com/MSDS/287500.pdf](https://www.columbuschemical.com/MSDS/287500.pdf) The pH of pure isopropyl alcohol would be slightly acidic, but this is also not anything that would ever be encountered by a non-chemist. The rubbing alcohol sold in drugstores is either a 70% solution in water (i.e. an aqueous solution) or a 91% solution. ---
**Author:** ![robby](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robby/32/11048_2.png) [@robby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/robby)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2020, 9:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-isnt-my-home-brew-hand-sanitizer-working-properly/849579/19 "2020-03-16T21:57:47Z")
> [@iamthewalrus\_3](#): > > I’m also not a chemist, but if you add a neutral (pH=7) liquid to something with a non-neutral pH, won’t that bring the pH of the solution closer to 7? Which is a change. Not necessarily. As I stated above, most alcohols are _very_ weak acids (or bases), even weaker than water itself, and so do not really affect the pH of an aqueous solution. Another way of stating this is that alcohols do not disassociate in water to any great extent. ---
**Author:** ![robby](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robby/32/11048_2.png) [@robby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/robby)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2020, 12:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-isnt-my-home-brew-hand-sanitizer-working-properly/849579/20 "2020-03-17T00:46:19Z")
Upon reviewing my earlier post, I don’t believe it’s actually correct to refer to the pH of pure ethanol (or isopropyl alcohol), since pH (by definition) is only defined in an aqueous solution. With that said, the major point still stands. While alcohols are miscible in water, they do not readily dissociate in water, so solutions of alcohol in water would have a neutral pH. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-isnt-my-home-brew-hand-sanitizer-working-properly/849579.md?page=2)