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$194 for hand sanitizer? You must be joking
- post_break 7y agoI bought some early last week. I got supplies two weeks ago when friends and family were laughing at me saying I was being paranoid. Now they are asking me where to get some hand sanitizer or bleach since it's sold out everywhere.
- 3fe9a03ccd14ca5 7y agoI’m in a similar boat. It was tough convincing my wife (who has an extreme aversion to waste) that we needed everything. I figure it’s best for everyone to prep early, since it has the least effect on the supply chain. The worst case scenario is we end up donating some non-perishable food to a food bank in 9 months or a year.
- illumanaughty 7y agoYup, gotta clean all those bacteria off your hands to avoid a virus, right? Just use hand soap. It's more effective. (yes I know alcohol still kills the virus, but buying hand sani isn't necessary when we already have a more effective tool at pretty much every sink)
- CommieBobDole 7y agoI have to ask, why do you assume that people are using hand sanitizer instead of washing their hands? In the case of a pandemic, I would like to disinfect my hands mostly in places where there is no access to running water. Like, in my car after being in a public place, or at my desk. This feels like the coronavirus-related version of that infamous Stack Exchange response where you say "I must do (thing) because of these requirements, what's the best way to do it" and people respond with "Don't do (thing), do (other thing which is arguably better but does not satisfy the requirements)"
- illumanaughty 7y agoSorry, just being an asshole. Using sanitizer in those situations makes perfect sense.
- post_break 7y agoI wash my hands, but I can't when I'm getting gas, driving around, sitting at my desk and someone brings mail, people touch my door handles, etc etc. The idea that sanitizer replaces soap is dumb, but the idea that washing hands makes sanitizer is dumb too.
- illumanaughty 7y agoPoint taken, I was wrong.
- ethagknight 7y agoThanks to Shipt grocery delivery, we generally only keep 2-3 days worth of food in the house for a family of 5. With the threat of this outbreak, it hit me that my household has bought into the global Just In Time inventory system that the big stores utilize. I suggested to my wife that we "stock up" and she tells everyone that I'm making us "hoard up food like a doomsdayer" when in reality its maybe 2 weeks of essentials.
- eu 7y agoYou can easily make it yourself: https://www.wikihow.com/Make-Hand-Sanitizer https://www.wikihow.com/Make-Hand-Sanitizer
- JohnJamesRambo 7y agoYep it is silly for people to be hoarding hand sanitizer. A simple 70% alcohol solution would work just as well. That’s what we spray our gloves and biosafety hood with in the lab.
- deleted 7y ago[deleted]
- jerf 7y agoIt doesn't have to be people "hoarding". It just has to be people buying faster than the just-in-time system has enough supply buffer to buffer for. If a very large demand spike drains the system of supply, then you're going to get at least one of high prices or shortages, and no rule against both. If high demand persisted, the system would start producing more, but since we are fairly confident it won't, it becomes difficult for the producers to justify any additional capital outlay, limiting the rate at which they can spin up new supply.
- cycrutchfield 7y agoStraight 70% alcohol without an emollient probably becomes pretty unpleasant rather quickly.
- ThrowawayR2 7y agoYes, but what kind of alcohol? Grain alcohol is impractical because of the expense, isopropyl alcohol is likely to sell out quickly as well. The only other option available to the public that comes to mind is denatured alcohol and it's unclear whether there any risks related to skin absorption of the denaturing agents. Anybody know?
- JohnJamesRambo 7y ago
- kevin_thibedeau 7y agoSo what happens to the cellulose after the alcohol evaporates?
- whatshisface 7y agoIt stays on your hands. If you want to use a lot, a bottle of isopropyl alcohol might be better.
- metalliqaz 7y agoyou wipe it on your jeans
- petre 7y agoSticks to your hands. That's why I prefer washing my hands, because they feel clean afterwards.
- wtfrmyinitials 7y agoDuring a shortage: Commodity is available. Commodity is affordable. Pick 1.
- formercoder 7y ago3) government intervenes
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- 3fe9a03ccd14ca5 7y agoNow the commodity is neither available nor affordable!
- omginternets 7y ago... but it can be more intelligently allocated. Sometimes an ideal market is the worst possible thing.
- formercoder 7y agoI generally favor markets but one of the main reasons we have a federal government is to do everything required in this type of situation. Stay away as much as you can, but be there when we need you.
- deleted 7y ago[deleted]
- wheelie_boy 7y agoThat's just rationing, the same thing as 'commodity is affordable'. Or maybe you're expecting it to not be a real shortage?
- wpietri 7y ago
- bluetidepro 7y agoIs anyone ACTUALLY surprised? Seems like an obvious supply/demand situation, and of course (bad) people are going to take advantage of that. > "We urge retailers to behave responsibly throughout the coronavirus outbreak and not to make misleading claims or charge vastly inflated prices," Urging retailers isn't going to stop the train of capitalism. I applaud their optimism, though.
- css 7y agoOk, so you set a price cap and it all sells out in 10 minutes. What then?
- theseadroid 7y agolimit quantity per customer?
- jerf 7y agoWhat do you mean, what then? Then it's gone. That's all. There's no moral component to this.
- whatshisface 7y agoMaybe it would be better if the people who needed it more and were willing to pay more got it, instead of one average guy who wants to panic buy the whole shelf. In terms of giving the right stuff to the right people, the ranking is probably "price cap and instant sell-out" < "price-based rationing" < "need-based rationing."
- 2zcon 7y ago>the people who needed it more and were willing to pay more got it And there the idealism breaks down. Willing to pay more - which you always are if it becomes a life-or-death situation - does not mean able to pay more; able to pay more does not mean deserves it more.
- hastes 7y agoGo on Amazon, literally half of their listings for sanitizer are "currently unavailable".
- zepearl 7y agoI don't get it - is normal soap ineffective?
- bluetidepro 7y agoI believe it's fine, I think hand sanitizer is just better because it's "on-the-go" for a lot of people. You don't need water to use, like with soap.
- yoz-y 7y agoIt is but people don't know/believe that.
- deleted 7y ago[deleted]
- hprotagonist 7y agoSoap is generally superior and more versatile. https://www.cdc.gov/handwashing/show-me-the-science-hand-sanitizer.html https://www.cdc.gov/handwashing/show-me-the-science-hand-san...
- illumanaughty 7y agoIt's actually more effective. The virus is essentially protected by fat, which is easily broken down by soap. In fact it's what soap is best at. Anti-bacterial hand sanitizer isn't the best approach for.. well, a virus.
- cycrutchfield 7y agoMost hand sanitizers are like 60-70% alcohol. That should kill viruses as well.
- illumanaughty 7y agoYes, fair. But that doesn't make it more effective vs. simply washing your hands with warm water & soap.
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- omginternets 7y agoProtip: cheap vodka works well. Protip #2: it comes in minibar-sized bottles. Provided you don't live in a strangely puritan nation (I won't point fingers), this basically has no downsides.
- cycrutchfield 7y agoVodka is 40% alcohol, which is not a high enough concentration to be effective.
- omginternets 7y agoCorrection (you're right, of course, if you live in a country that thinks vodka must always be 40%): Everclear is effective. It also comes in minibar sized bottles. 95% isopropyl alcohol is even cheaper, and puritan-compatible. ;)
- maeln 7y agoIts not 40% everywhere, I saw vodka much higher than that, especially the further east you go in eastern europe. Although I doubt even the strongest one will do the job.
- whatshisface 7y agoYou can find some very strong vodkas out there, 180 proof in the US corresponds to 90% alcohol.
- dgemm 7y agoI see this being repeated in a few places, but usually at least 70% alcohol is recommended to be effective.
- frabert 7y agoI have no sources for this, but I've heard that actually 70% is the optimal concentration, and that above that the alcohol is less effective. Something to do with not having enough water content to dissolve stuff, or something.
- 3fe9a03ccd14ca5 7y agoOne thing I’d like to see architecturally change is the creation of hand washing stations at the entrances to large buildings. I’d love to simply wash my hands before and after entering Costco, but the bathrooms are out of the way and you need to wade through reverse cart traffic to get there when entering. Places were groups of 100+ people are gathering should simply have a hand washing station near the entrance, outside the building. And we should all use them!
- eveningcoffee 7y agoGreat idea!
- joquarky 7y agoI'm curious how much the habits created during this situation will have lasting impacts that might be beneficial in the long run.
- mothsonasloth 7y agoI've noticed a curve model happening on Amazon. First it was basic medical masks that went out of stock. Then people realised DIY/Building masks are the same if not better, they went out of stock. So the next step was half face respirators for spray painting. They are now either out of stock or overpriced. Same thing with hand sanitizer. Wipes and small bottles. Then larger family sized ones, then industrial acohol cleaner and aloe vera. Its very fascinating, its almost like early adopters vs. mass consumers.
- crispinb 7y agoGiven we're pretty much all going to catch it anyway, whats the point? I'd be happy to get it over with soon.
- crispinb 7y agoI'm sure no-one's reading this far back, but for the record I would edit or delete the above if I still could. It was a pretty silly statement for a number of reasons. I never had much cause in the past to read or think much about epidemiology, and now I have .. well I'm thinking quite differently about it all.
- sam_lowry_ 7y agoPoor Syrians, they can not even make their hand sanitizers nor buy off the shelf: isopropyl is an essential ingredient in sarin production. People were put in jail for shipping it overseas. https://www.bellingcat.com/news/2019/01/22/isopropyl-alcohol-and-sarin-one-is-needed-for-the-other/ https://www.bellingcat.com/news/2019/01/22/isopropyl-alcohol...
- bmn__ 7y agoThey can still make it with ethanol. https://www.who.int/gpsc/5may/Guide_to_Local_Production.pdf https://www.who.int/gpsc/5may/Guide_to_Local_Production.pdf
- simonblack 7y agowater + detergent is more effective than sanitizers.