For those that are making their own hand sanitizer at home... Please select the Proof and Tralle hydrometer and not a brewing hydrometer. The Proof and Tralle Hydrometer is for distilled spirits and measures the levels above 22% alcohol.
Important Note about denatured alcohol: The article states that they suggest that you should not use denatured alcohol. See article here and See article here.
Our Tips that we have learned these past few weeks:
America has changed.
But American ingenuity has not.
Today our distillers provide another essential for America....
hand sanitizer.
In the past week or so, we are receiving a lot of questions regarding our Alcoholmeter Proof and Tralle 0-200 Kit and how or if it can be used with hand sanitizer production.
TOOLS:
Proof and Tralle Hydrometer 0-200 scale with a Test Jar Alcoholmeter Proof and Tralle 0-200 Kit
Single Hydrometer or replacement Proof and Tralle Hydrometer 0-200 Scale Alcoholmeter Proof and Tralle 0-200
Here is the answer....
Candidly, we never thought we would be in a situation talking about hand sanitizer and we will do our best to give you an idea on how to proceed. There is isopropyl alcohol and then there is ethanol alcohol. There is a bit of a difference between reading isopropyl and ethanol alcohol. They are very close but we are seeing on a couple of tests where 70% isopropyl alcohol will read 72 to 73% at 60F on a ethanal alcohol proof and tralle hydrometer. Please keep that in mind when mixing and adjust your solution appropriately... The CDC recommends a hand sanitizer with at least 60% alcohol. And YES, our alcholmeter will do the job.
There are several recipes to make hand sanitizer out there.
The Proof and Tralle hydrometer will provide you a close reading for isopropyl alcohol but is designed for ethanol alcohol and would be a few points off because they both different measurement points for specific gravity. They are close enough (Please See Paragraph Above for Differences) but the other issue is that the hydrogen peroxide and the glycerin mixture would affect your readings by interfering with the measurement and how the hydrometer floats. However, you could combine the alcohol and distilled water to obtain a reading and then complete the estimate by determining volume and how that would affect your percentages.
So the steps you would take if you were back at square one is first try to have the alcohol and distilled water at 60F if not, use the temperature adjustment chart:
1. Use our Brewing America Alcoholmeter (Proof and Tralle) to test your alcohol to learn its proof level.
2. Add the distilled water to the alcohol.
3. Check your alcohol level with the distilled water and make a note of the readings.
4. Measure your volumes of the distilled water and alcohol.
5. Measure your volumes of the hydrogen peroxide and the glycerin or aloe Vera mixture. This will become a math problem at this point. This will decrease the alcohol levels in the end product, but you want to maintain a 60% alcohol level.
6. Note how much you cut your alcohol with your hydrogen peroxide and the glycerin or aloe Vera mixture solution.
7. Calculate your new alcohol proof based on the volume of your hydrogen peroxide and the glycerin mixture solution to alcohol volume.