Tito's Vodka, a popular liquor brand, warned its customers that they should not be using the alcoholic beverage as a substitute for hand sanitizer to protect against the coronavirus.

"Gonna make some hand sanitizer from @TitosVodka to keep safe from the corona virus," a Twitter user said Thursday before Tito's intervened, saying it was a bad idea.

"Per the CDC, hand sanitizer needs to contain at least 60% alcohol," the brand's account said. "Tito's Handmade Vodka is 40% alcohol, and therefore does not meet the current recommendation of the CDC."

Tito's repeated the same message for other internet users who mentioned they may use the vodka to clean their hands.



Per the CDC, hand sanitizer needs to contain at least 60% alcohol. Tito's Handmade Vodka is 40% alcohol, and therefore does not meet the current recommendation of the CDC. Please see attached for more information. pic.twitter.com/J5ifkV3Jah — TitosVodka (@TitosVodka) March 5, 2020



The use of vodka as a disinfectant appeared to be fueled in part by a January article by Good Housekeeping, which made mention of the drink as a homemade cleaning remedy. The article has since been modified to not list the homemade vodka cleaner, which also included aloe gel and essential oils.



Per the CDC, hand sanitizer needs to contain at least 60% alcohol. Tito's Handmade Vodka is 40% alcohol, and therefore does not meet the current recommendation of the CDC. Please see attached for more information. pic.twitter.com/plYf54HPLn — TitosVodka (@TitosVodka) March 4, 2020



So far, 11 people have died in the United States from coronavirus while under 200 cases have been confirmed.