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    Back to Press Play with Madeleine Brand

    Press Play with Madeleine Brand

    As prices spike for Purell, make your own hand sanitizer for cheap

    With all this talk about coronavirus, many stores are sold out of Purell. On Amazon, bottles that typically sell for about $5 are going for upwards of $20. To avoid the price gouging, you can make hand sanitizer yourself.

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    By Madeleine Brand • Mar 3, 2020 • 1 min read

    All this talk about coronavirus might make you want to dart out to the store and pick up a bottle of hand sanitizer -- or six. Well good luck finding one. Brands like Purell are flying off shelves, and many stores are sold out. Customers are turning to Amazon and finding bottles that typically sell for about $5 are going for upwards of $20.

    To avoid the price gouging, you can make hand sanitizer yourself.

    Ingredients

    • 2/3 cup of rubbing alcohol (99% isopropyl alcohol is perfect)

    • 1/3 cup of aloe vera gel

    Instructions

    -Stir ingredients and put them into a clean soap bottle or reuse an old pump bottle.

    -Add a few drops of essential oil if you want it scented.

    *Some places are suggesting that vodka will work in lieu of rubbing alcohol. This isn’t entirely true. You’ll need at least 60% isopropyl alcohol to kill bacteria. Vodka is only about 40%. So maybe save that for a drink later.

    The full episode

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    2. 11:56How LA County officials are preparing for coronavirus, and what you should do
    3. 20:26Little sick leave and Trump health policies may worsen coronavirus outbreak in US
    4. 30:32As prices spike for Purell, make your own hand sanitizer for cheapYou’re reading this
    5. 36:30Armando Iannucci’s HBO comedy ‘Avenue 5’ explores imposter syndrome in space
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      Madeleine Brand

      Host, 'Press Play'

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      Sarah Sweeney

      Vice President of Talk Programming, KCRW

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      Michell Eloy

      Former Producer/Line Editor, Press Play

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      Amy Ta

      Digital News & Culture Editor

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      Abha Bhattarai

      retail reporter for the Washington Post

      NewsCultureHealth & WellnessNational

    The full episode

    4 of 5
    Super Tuesday voting
    1. 0:00Voting on Super Tuesday, outside money pouring into California races
    2. 11:56How LA County officials are preparing for coronavirus, and what you should do
    3. 20:26Little sick leave and Trump health policies may worsen coronavirus outbreak in US
    4. 30:32As prices spike for Purell, make your own hand sanitizer for cheapYou’re reading this
    5. 36:30Armando Iannucci’s HBO comedy ‘Avenue 5’ explores imposter syndrome in space
    Back to Press Play with Madeleine Brand