Watch: DIY Sanitising Spray – Hospital Grade
The Institute of Personal Care ScienceIn this video, learn how to make your own sanitising spray that is slightly hydrating making it generally gentle on sensitive skin as well as customizable to add your own scents as you prefer.
Watch the video here:
Source: The Institute of Personal Care Science - https://youtu.be/On7Ib0A23GU?si=dWB0mRr1m_fHJqWZ
Find Here The Recipe For An Easy DIY Sanitising Spray (Hospital-Strength)
Ingredients:
- 70% Ethanol (high strength) or Isopropyl Alcohol
(70% minimum concentration for hospital strength - up to 85% may be used, but higher levels can be more drying) - 5% Vegetable Glycerine
- 25% Distilled Water (or a hydrosol for a gentle, natural scent)
-
Up to 0.3% Essential Oil (optional)
Important: Avoid citrus essential oils like bergamot, orange, lemon, lime, or grapefruit, as these can be phototoxic in leave-on products.
Method:
- Combine the vegetable glycerine and distilled water (or hydrosol) in a clean beaker.
- If using an essential oil, first mix it with the ethanol or isopropyl alcohol in a separate beaker.
- Slowly add the alcohol mixture to the glycerine solution while stirring.
- Transfer to a clean spray bottle or pump dispenser for use.
Why Make Your Own Sanitiser?
It is always a good idea to have a sanitiser on hand, whether you're shaking hands, opening doors, or grabbing something to eat after using your phone (many studies have found that phones often carry more bacteria than toilet seats, sometimes reported as around 7–10× more bacteria on average.)
Sanitising helps reduce the number of microbes we pick up during the day. Since we frequently touch our faces, mouths, and eyes, using sanitiser can help limit the transfer of germs.
Making your own sanitiser also gives you a few advantages:
- Less packaging waste if you refill the same bottle
- Customisable ingredients to suit your skins needs
- Control over scent, using hydrosols or essential oils
- Adjustable moisturising levels if your skin is easily dried by alcohol
You might prefer a little extra glycerine for hydration, a favourite hydrosol for scent, or simply enjoy making your own everyday products - without paying the extra that stores often charge.
No Scale? No Problem - Kitchen Hacked Version of DIY sanitser
If you don’t have a scale, you can make a simplified version:
- 1 cup of ethanol (high strength)
- 1 tablespoon vegetable glycerine
- ¼ cup distilled water or hydrosol
Safety Warning
This formulation is highly flammable because of the alcohol content.
- Store and use with care
- Keep away from heat or open flames
- Do not send by air mail, as alcohol-based sanitiser is often considered a dangerous good for transport
Make Your Own Sanitiser FAQ
Can you use a lesser amount of alcohol?
For effective sanitising, 60% alcohol (ethanol or isopropyl) is generally considered the minimum.
However, 70% alcohol is more commonly used in hospital-strength sanitising products, as it provides reliable broad-spectrum activity. Higher concentrations can be used, but they tend to be more drying on the skin.
Can you add hydrating ingredients?
Absolutely - and it’s usually a good idea.
Alcohol can be drying, so ingredients like vegetable glycerine (or glycerites) are often included to help keep hands feeling more comfortable after use.
How can you make a sanitiser smell nicer?
You can soften the alcohol scent with a little hydrosol or a small amount of essential oil.
Just remember that essential oils are only there for fragrance - they don’t contribute to the sanitising effect.
Also avoid phototoxic citrus oils like bergamot, lemon, lime, grapefruit, or bitter orange in leave-on products.
Do you need to add a preservative?
No. The high alcohol content preserves the formula on its own, because microorganisms cannot grow in these conditions.
This is the same reason alcohol tinctures don’t require preservatives.
Does sanitiser kill all germs? Why does sanitiser only kill 99.9% of germs?
Not completely.
Sanitising products reduce the vast majority of microorganisms, but they don’t achieve full sterilisation.
Alcohol is very effective against most bacteria, yeast, mould, and many viruses, but some resistant spores can remain.This is the case with all sanitisers, and why they always say 99.9% of germs.
Can this be used as a surface spray?
Yes, although the glycerine may leave a slight residue on hard surfaces.
If you want a sanitising spray specifically for surfaces, you can simply leave the glycerine out of the formula.
Are essential oils antimicrobial like sanitiser?
Some essential oils - tea tree is a common example - do have antibacterial or antifungal properties.
However, they are not broad-spectrum enough to reliably sanitise on their own. Alcohol works against a much wider range of microorganisms, which is why it is used as the primary sanitising ingredient.
Essential oils can be a nice addition for scent, but they can’t replace alcohol in a sanitiser formula.
Can I use vodka or spirits instead of ethanol?
No. Most spirits simply don’t contain enough alcohol to reach effective sanitising levels, and they are not designed for cosmetic formulation.
Sources:
Your cell phone is 10 times dirtier than a toilet seat. Here's what to do about it:
https://ihpi.umich.edu/news/your-cell-phone-10-times-dirtier-toilet-seat-heres-what-do-about-it
