How to make your own Face Mask!

[Josietta]

With shortages on face masks and such, I saw this video on how to make your own!  There are also cotton ones you can make if you are handy with a sewing machine and places (hospitals, clinics, etc) that are asking for people to make and donate them!   And I'll post a recipe below for DIY Hand Sanitizer.



https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cZGU2vWHKC8




DIY Hand Sanitizer


Combine:

2/3 cup of rubbing alcohol (99% isopropyl alcohol)
1/3 cup aloe vera gel
Stir together into a clean soap or pump bottle.

According to The Verge, DIY-ers must be aware of these things before making the sanitizer:


To be effective, hand sanitizer needs to have a strength of at least 60 percent alcohol. Since you’re going to have to mix your sanitizer with aloe vera gel in order to stabilize it and protect your hands, most recipes suggest that the mixture contain at least two-thirds 99 percent isopropyl alcohol and one-third gel. A 91 percent alcohol would work as well. (You can probably ignore the occasional suggestion to use vodka instead of isopropyl alcohol since many vodkas are only 40 percent alcohol. And anyway, why waste good liquor?)

On the other hand, the ethanol (also known as ethyl alcohol) in distilled beverages, such as vodka, is also effective. In fact, it’s actually considered more effective against some types of infectious diseases than isopropyl alcohol. But in order to get the proper strength, you’d have to find alcohol that is 180 proof or higher.

Sanitizer is only effective if you cover your hands thoroughly and then let them dry. Squirting a few drops into your palms and then wiping your hands isn’t going to help at all.

If your hands are heavily soiled or greasy, then, according to the CDC, hand sanitizer isn’t going to do much

[Oniya]

I've seen a number of Jo-Anns Fabric stores that are doing collections of the sewn masks to get them to hospitals.  Check your local store for details.