Hand sanitizer in a pinch; you can make your own at home

SOUTH BEND, Ind. -- With cold and flu season in full swing, many people are stocking up on hand sanitizer.

In fact, so many people are stocking up on it that many stores have low quantities available. Here at ABC 57, we decided to make our own homemade hand sanitizer, according to a recipe by the World Health Organization (WHO). Here are the steps we followed.

1. Gather Ingredients: You will need isopropyl alcohol, hydrogen peroxide, glycerol, and water. Glycerol is not readily available from pharmacies or drugstores, so we substituted aloe. This will give the sanitizer the "gel" feeling.

2. Measure Ingredients: We made about one liter of hand sanitizer, so we used smaller amounts of the ingredients than WHO suggested. We used about 26 fluid ounces of isopropyl alcohol, about 40 milliliters of hydrogen peroxide, and 1/3 cup of aloe.

3. Boil Water: Bring about two cups of water to a boil. After boiling, let it cool while you measure and mix other ingredients.

4. Mix Ingredients: In a large bowl, mix ingredients from step two. Add in the cooled water. Our sanitizer's consistency was more liquid than gel. To avoid this, you can use a smaller amount of water and a larger amount of aloe. Make sure to stir well.

5. Put Mixture in Bottles: We found small, reusable bottles from the trial/travel size aisle. There were some with pumps to make it seem more like a store brand. A funnel is helpful to pour the mixture into the bottles.

6. Set for 72 Hours: Once your hand sanitizer is in bottles, leave them still for about 72 hours. They are then good to use!

If you are interested in personalizing your hand sanitizer, you can add a few drops of your favorite essential oil to the mixture before putting in bottles. This will give it a unique scent. We did not try this with our batch, however.