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Worried about a shortage of hand sanitizer due to Coronavirus fears? Here's how to make your own

CBS News has investigated how to make hand sanitizer right at your own home, as a shortage is being seen on store shelves.

WASHINGTON — From the flu to fears over the coronavirus, a shortage of hand sanitizer is having people across the nation searching store shelves diligently.

According to CBS News, some sellers of the much-needed germ preventer are limiting the number of hand sanitizer containers customers can buy per trip to the store, plus others are reportedly hiking the prices of their products.

So with the shortage and many out their still wanting hand sanitizer, a good solution — make it yourself.

"Homemade hand sanitizers are just as effective as what you buy as long as you use the right percentage of alcohol," CBS News contributor Dr. David Agus told CBS MoneyWatch. "This is a good way to get around people price-gouging for Purell." 

According to CBS News, here's a list of required ingredients to make your own hand sanitizer:

  • 2/3 cup of rubbing alcohol 
  • 1/3 cup aloe vera gel
  • 5-10 drops of essential oil (optional)
  • Mixing bowl
  • Spoon
  • Funnel
  • Two-ounce spray bottle or liquid soap container
  • Masking tape and pen or marker for labeling the container (or adhesive labels)

Directions: Pour the alcohol and aloe vera in a bowl and stir until blended. Add several drops of essential oil and stir to help mask the smell of alcohol. Use the funnel to pour the eight ounce mixture into containers, then affix the strips of marked masking tape (or adhesive labels) to identify the bottles' contents.

While hand sanitizer doesn't kill all viruses, it can be effective in helping to fight the coronavirus. 

According to CBS News, the virus is protected by a shell, called an "envelope glycoprotein," which the alcohol scrambles. 

Public health experts do agree that it is easier for a disease to spread in crowded places like buses and trains.

In D.C., Metro maintains it is “focused on preparedness” for coronavirus. 

Last activated for the Ebola outbreak of 2014, the transit agency’s special pandemic task force will meet again Thursday, according to Metro’s main spokesman.

The transit agency says trains and stations will be disinfected about once each week. New York’s Subway said crews are disinfecting surfaces every 72-hours -- a system ten times larger than Metro.

RELATED: As a coronavirus precaution, Starbuck won't fill reusable cups

RELATED: Here's how DMV nursing homes are working to prevent coronavirus

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