People are suddenly googling 'homemade hand sanitiser' after shops sell out due to coronavirus panic

If you’re worried about coronavirus (also known as COVID-19) and your local pharmacy/chemist has run out of hand sanitiser, do not be tempted to make your own.

We repeat, do NOT make your own concoctions of homemade hand sanitisers.

Now that you've put away the test tubes, glass beakers and safety goggles, here's what you should know.

indy100 can confirm that according to Google Trends, there has been a spike in people searching for how to make their own hand sanitisers.

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UK searches for the homemade recipes are happening most in Northern Ireland and least in England.

Meanwhile, Washington tops the list for US states, closely followed by Oregon and then Hawaii.

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The spike in searches comes after sales of hand sanitiser gel in the UK spiked 255 per cent in February.

Then the health and beauty retailer Boots confirmed they’ve limited hand sanitiser sales to two per customer.

So why shouldn’t people make their own hand sanitisers?

Well, they just don’t work and they’re not even the best way to prevent the spread of the virus, according to experts.

(FYI, the best way is to wash your hands with soap and water for at least 20 seconds.)

Dr Jenna Macciochi, an immunologist based at Sussex University, said homemade hand sanitisers may actually end up damaging your skin.

She said:

I wouldn’t try and make your own sanitiser at home. It’s not necessary for most people who have access to regular hand washing with soap and water, which is perfectly sufficient. [Homemade sanitiser] will most likely be less effective than ones that you can buy and have a known amount of alcohol in them.

Thankfully, at the time of writing, when you Google ‘homemade hand sanitiser’ the top three things that come up are articles that feature experts warning against homemade hand sanitiser.

The Department of Health and Social Care recommends you wash your hands when you get home or into work, blow your nose, sneeze or cough and when you eat or handle food.

H/T: HuffPost

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