Posted on 03/20/2020 3:45:56 PM PDT by steve86
When Jim Batdorf tried to pick up hand sanitizer last week, he was greeted with bare shelves.
The rush on grocery stories and pharmacies since the first death caused by COVID-19 in Washington state wiped out stocks of disinfectants across the region.
Batdorf, a chemical engineer turned head distiller at Richland-based Solar Spirits, wanted to help in his own way to curb the spread of the disease.
So he put together a kit so people can make their own hand sanitizer.
“Keeping our hands clean is a key factor in the national fight against the spread of the coronavirus,” he said. “With our background in science and engineering, we wanted to do our part in the fight against the epidemic.”
The 5-year-old distillery produces whiskey, brandy, gin and vodka and is powered by solar and renewable energy credits.
Distilleries across the country have turned to making hand sanitizer.
Their access to alcohol makes them uniquely positioned to produce the cleaner. When vodka is made, it comes out as 190 proof. They then usually filter it before adding water to bring it down to 80 proof.
While Batdorf looked up recipes, he wasn’t sure if he could legally switch from producing drinking alcohol to producing hand sanitizer.
Since the crisis the state and federal governments have eased rules on what the distilleries can do.
They are selling the pieces to make hand sanitizer. The $20 kit includes a 750 milliliter bottle of 190-proof alcohol and a bottle that has a mixture of glycerin, hydrogen peroxide and water.
When combined, it’s enough to make more than a wine bottle-size amount of hand sanitizer.
As part of the package, people will get the World Health Organization Guidance for making hand rub.
The distillery was already back ordered for two days after their first day of sales of the kits that they are selling at cost.
“The coronavirus numbers are scary,” said Batdorf. “We don’t disagree with what the governor is doing.”
But he said it is sad to see many of his customers who run bars and restaurants struggling with closing their inside serving areas.
To place an order can go to solarspirits.com or call 509-371-1622 for curbside pickup. They’re limiting sales to one kit per person.
“We’re running the still as much as we can to keep up with demand for our vodka hand sanitizer,” the company said on its Twitter page.
But don’t try taking a nip of the vodka without diluting it. That could kill you.
Batdorf said if you’re looking to ease your stress, Solar Spirits is offering a 20 percent sale on its normal liquor.
I’ll be squeezing hand sanitizer into a bottle for a while
Distilleries in San Francisco Bay Area are already supplying hand sanitizer made with their alcohol - free. They’re donating supplies, no cost to others who need them.
Try denatured alcohol in the paint departments everywhere.
Try “dry-gas” (and equivalents) in the automotive departments.
““The coronavirus numbers are scary,” said Batdorf. “ Not to rational individuals.
This is just wrong.
This is really going to give us drunks a bad name.
“When vodka is made, it comes out as 190 proof.”
That is not vodka!
I got to thinking - with all these distilleries turning out hand sanitizer and some states closing their liquor stores - how many alcoholics do we think will end up in DT territory or end up in trouble looking for a drink?
I’m hoping it ends up helping them more then hurting them.
190 proof ? Kill you? Are they trying to sell the “heads” as sanitizer?
You can drink Everclear which is 190 proof. It’s not pleasant but ...
I’ve never used sanitizers since I’m in the bathroom every half-hour to forty-five minutes anyway, and have to wash my hands all the time anyway. Plus, I’m retired, I live alone, and normally, only go out to get groceries once a week, go to the post office once-a-week, and whatever doctor appointments I may have. The rest of the time I’m home. I’ve been practicing social-distancing for almost 20 years. This hasn’t changed my lifestyle at all.
Mix a little hand sanitizer and drink the rest...
This distillery in Pacifica near San Francisco gives out free hand sanitizer - and a free roll of toilet paper. No cost.
I ordered, for local pickup, for a friend in Spokane.
70% is best. Higher causes bugs to encapsulate themselves. Lower is not strong enough to kill
So 140 proof is optimum. (I use to recover alcohol from pharmaceutical production waste and distill it back to 95% This wasn’t a wood fire copper tubing affair. It was a professional still made of stainless and using a PLC to control it )
This distillery in Pacifica near San Francisco gives out free hand sanitizer - and a free roll of toilet paper. No cost.
https://www.facebook.com/trippdistillery/
Want your hand sanitizer straight up or on the rocks?
If people drink enough of the real booze they won't feel anxiety any more about going without sanitizer lotion. They'll forget what they were drinking to forget about.
I'm a teetotaler who had an abusive alcoholic mother. I respect the drinkers for their escape, though. This is a terrible world and a terrible time to be sober.
A woman former co-worker told me I would be much more carefree and less serious about everything if I took up drinking--knowing about my mother and the fact that her own brother died of alcoholism.
“70% is best. Higher causes bugs to encapsulate themselves. Lower is not strong enough to kill”
Only if you use it straight, you mix it with aloe vera gel or coconut oil you will have an ineffective sanitizer too weak to do any good. One has to use 90% alcohol to mix with aloe vera or coconut oil...2/3 alcohol...1/3 aloe vera gel or coconut oil. That way the solution is at least 60% which is bottom level for effectiveness
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