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Certain products such as hand soap, face masks, and non-perishables such as pasta may be in short supply right now – but you can always get creative and make your own. This could save you money as well as saving you the hassle of having to hunt around for items in stock. Here are just a few tips on how to craft your own hand soap, your own face masks and your own pasta.
Make your own hand soap
We’ve been told to keep washing our hands to prevent the risk of getting the virus. But what if you’ve ran out of hand soap and can’t find any in the shops?
Fortunately, here are lots of guides online that can help you to learn how to make soap. You may be able to use other forms of soap such as liquid soap as a base – this can then be diluted with water (1 part liquid soap, 4 parts water) in order to mimic the consistency of hand soap. This can then be scented using orange or lemon peel.
It’s also possible to use castile soap mixed with water and essential oils. This can result in a natural and fragrant DIY hand soap.
If you still have an old hand soap container you can put the soap in here. If not, consider other containers such as mason jars or empty ketchup bottles to keep the soap sealed.
Make your own face mask
Face masks are selling for a lot of money online, but you can cheaply make your own.
A handkerchief or an old t-shirt could be ideal for the purpose (cotton is the best material – just make sure that the material isn’t too thin). This guide offers a few tips on how to cut this fabric into shape. No sewing is required – it’s simply a case of folding and tying.
Between the layers of fabric, you’ll want to add some kind of filter. This could be a coffee filter or a paper towel. This filter will add extra protection when breathing in.
Make your own pasta
Many foods have been flying off the shelves as a result of panic buying. One of these foods is pasta.
This is something else that you can make yourself if you’ve got a craving for pasta. All you need is flour, eggs and salt.
Get out a mixing bowl and add 3 eggs, 2 cups of flour and half a teaspoon of salt. Whisk the mixture together and add any more flour that is needed until the mixture starts to form a dough. Knead the dough, let it rest and then begin the process of rolling it out and cutting into your desired shapes.
You can find a more in-depth guide here at this site. Having a pasta maker can make the process easier, but it’s possible to make pasta by hand if you don’t have one of these appliances gathering dust in your cupboard.