UKC

In the absence of such a thing in the shops I've been using some stuff bought in France. It's labelled Alcool modifie 70% and suggested use is for hand hygiene. Ingredients alcool and camphor. Is this good for the present situation? And when it runs out could I use meths? 

PS not planning to drink either of these.

I don't know what modified alcohol is. I wouldn't use meths.

The best thing to use is traditional soap and hot water. Liquid soap also. It's a good virus killer. Just not as convenient as the gels if you are out and about. 

If its this stuff - https://www.doctissimo.fr/medicament-ALCOOL-MODIFIE-COOPER.htm - then its hard to tell from the google translation of the page. To be effective against covid-19 a sanitizer needs to be at least 60% alcohol, so if its 70% alcohol and you use a reasonable amount then it should be ok. Your call though.

I wouldn't recommend cleaning your skin with meths in anything except an emergency. Meths contains nasty additives. And pure or near-pure alcohol needs to be mixed with an emollient to protect your skin.

Here's an article on making your own hand sanitiser, based on formulations produced by the WHO: https://www.wired.com/story/how-to-make-hand-sanitizer/

Really though, its best not to rely on hand sanitizer. Wear decent disposable gloves if you got out and have to touch things, remove them safely (https://www.globus.co.uk/how-to-safely-remove-disposable-gloves), and wash your hands with soap and water. A lot.

P.S. a good video on hand washing from a nurse

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1AGW3bbcb3Y&t=208s

I bought enough ingredients to make 3 litres of this stuff. It cost me £70 for alcohol and hello vera.

I remember the French stuff from donkey's years ago when I used it to power my Trangia on campsite. I ain't a doctor, but I'd use it neat, as a last resort, at 70% followed by some moisturiser. I would not do it all the time but if I was stuck in a pinch. But then I'm amazed that I've lived this long being a child of the 70s.

There is evidence that gloves in the untrained are a poor aid to hand hygiene. They are useful though if you are going to use meths, bleach or other non-dermatologic or surface disinfectants to stop your fingers falling off. 

P.S. People often miss the back of the hand near the thumb when learning to scrub up with UV discloser on

Yes I'm not sure I would bother with gloves unless I could take them on and off without the outside touching the skin. I get lots of practice in that from my work but I've seen some dodgy glove use out there. 

I seem to remember as a small child learning to progress from mittens to gloves quite well. They did stop me from picking my nose because the fingers were too chubby to ram up the nasal passages. However I could still scratch my arse fine.

You've got to be able to put them on and off without the outside touching your skin. Not trivial. Also think about what you touch with your gloves on. Phone, keys, door handles, steering wheel etc. I classify my objects and door handles as clean (no gloves, for example everything in the house) or dirty (wear gloves, e.g. door handles in block of flat's stairwells). I clean my phone etc every day as well. 

At work I use gloves to eat a Subway meatball marinara so that my hands don't get dirty. Is that the sort of thing?

Soap and water.

I was thinking more about when out shopping or filling the petrol tank.

Yes. Thats why I included a link to a description of how to take them off safely. I get the feeling you know how to do it, but it amazes me how many people don't.

https://www.globus.co.uk/how-to-safely-remove-disposable-gloves

I didn't see your link sorry.

We have soap, cold water, a cool box and paper towels in the boot of the car. When we have to go out we put a flask of hot water in as well. We can then wash hands when we return to the car. Not ideal but has worked well for us.

I see this on site so often, people working in waste water taking their gloves off in such a way as to contaminate their hands, the big one though is Mr take the gloves off and put them in the Hart hat.

My big bug bear though (not seen this in waste water) is people who take their shoes off then pick them up with a thumb on the top and the fingers and palm under the sole. 

It's probably better than having a camper van at the moment. My cousin (NHS worker) feels like a pariah when going to work at the moment - camper van in a tourist area!

Who on earth does this?!

How weird, when shoes are just so easy to pick up by holding the inside tops of the backs with one hand. You'd have to be a bit of a loony to do anything else.

This is worth reading. Highlights why soap and water is best.

https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/13/health/soap-coronavirus-handwashing-germ...

Our local glossy lifestyle mag had a recipe for hand sanitiser on their facebook last week. 50% alcoholic spirit, 50% aloe vera and smelly oils.  Even if you used pure alcohol in the recipe it wouldn't have been strong enough!  They took it down after I informed them of the error of their ways.  Lots of people thinking 100' proof spirits were the same as 100% a.b.v. too

Last week I was rooting through a medical cabinet looking for bottles of hand sanitiser. I came across a bottle of Prima Gel from Spain with an expiry date of 2009. It says it’s for AIDS, Rostavirus and Coronavirus. Now that’s planning.

Use your left hand to wipe your are and your right to eat with. Clean side, dirty side never shall the twixt meet.