Survival and Emergency Preparedness

Bob wrote: ↑Sun Apr 05, 2020 11:07 am Great thread Dave!

So, you are saying I can make me some hand sanitizer with all of this:

Isopropyl alcohol, particularly in solutions between 60% and 90% alcohol with 10 – 40% purified water, is rapidly antimicrobial against bacteria, fungi, and viruses. Once alcohol concentrations drop below 50%, usefulness for disinfection drops sharply. Notably, higher concentrations of alcohol don’t generate more desirable bactericidal, virucidal, or fungicidal properties.

The presence of water is a crucial factor in destroying or inhibiting the growth of pathogenic microorganisms with isopropyl alcohol. Water acts as a catalyst and plays a key role in denaturing the proteins of vegetative cell membranes. 70% IPA solutions penetrate the cell wall more completely which permeates the entire cell, coagulates all proteins, and therefore the microorganism dies. Extra water content slows evaporation, therefore increasing surface contact time and enhancing effectiveness. Isopropyl alcohol concentrations over 91% coagulate proteins instantly. Consequently, a protective layer is created which protects other proteins from further coagulation.

Solutions > 91% IPA do kill bacteria, but sometimes require longer contact times for disinfection, and enable spores to lie in a dormant state without being killed. In this analysis, a 50% isopropyl alcohol solution kills Staphylococcus Aureus in less than 10 seconds (pg. 238), yet a 90% solution with a contact time of over two hours is ineffective. Some disinfectants will kill spores, which are classified as chemical sterilants. So why do higher alcohol solutions yield fewer results for bactericidal and antimicrobial outcomes?

bdcochran wrote: ↑Thu Dec 10, 2020 4:36 pm I pass this along. I went to the barber shop before it closed down, again, this week. I notice a case of 4 1 gallon 70% isopropyl containers. Never thought that a barber shop bought that stuff.

I had been getting 1 gallon containers at Smart and Final, an institutional supply company. It was about $19 a gallon. The hand sanitizer was $56 a gallon not including tax. Hand sanitizer is 70% isopropyl with a smidgen of liquid soap. That company has been out for months. Rather than driving to get alcohol, the next time I need it, I will have the barber shop add to its order.

I spray the home surfaces, switches, water handles, computer key board, doors with 70% isopropyl l at least once a week. Then I do it to the car surfaces that I touch.