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getpocket.com

Rubbing Alcohol Mistakes

to Avoid
Ashley Abramson
5-6 minutes

Photos by Joe Lingeman

When it comes to cleaning efficiently (and on the
cheap!), there’s nothing like putting multi-taskers

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to work. Common first-aid supplies like rubbing

alcohol can pack an extra punch, but that doesn’t
mean they don’t come with risks. Since it’s a
germicide—and effective in killing the influenza
virus—rubbing alcohol is a smart disinfectant to
keep around during the germ-ridden, winter
months. But due to its unique chemical
properties, using alcohol around the house
requires extra care.
Ready to break out the rubbing alcohol in your
home? Here are a few things you should never
do.

1. Don’t mix rubbing alcohol with

bleach.

There are some chemical combinations you

should avoid at all costs, and bleach and alcohol
is one of them. Rubbing alcohol contains ethanol
and isopropyl, which when mixed with bleach
creates chloroform, a toxic compound that emits
toxic and corrosive fumes. According to the CDC,

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inhaling chloroform can cause serious issues

with the central nervous system, liver, and
kidneys, in addition to irritating the skin, lungs,
and eyes and causing nausea and dizziness.

2. Don’t use rubbing alcohol near

flames or smoking.

Mixing alcohol and fire? Not a gamble you want

to take. Due to the obvious alcohol content,
rubbing alcohol is highly flammable, which
means it’s important to avoid using it around
smoking or any open flames in your home. So
before you disinfect with any alcohol products,
make sure to snuff out all your candles.

3. Don’t use rubbing alcohol in an

unventilated area.

Similarly, since isopropyl alcohol is a volatile

chemical (that’s a fancy way of saying it
evaporates quickly), it also creates potentially
harmful fumes. When you’re cleaning your home

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with alcohol, make sure to open your windows,

keeping the area as well-ventilated as possible.

4. Don’t clean certain surfaces with

rubbing alcohol.

While it’s a super-power disinfectant on counters,

toilets, or even your laptop or cell phone —
strong enough to destroy E.coli bacteria and the
flu virus — there are some surfaces you will
definitely want to avoid sterilizing with rubbing
alcohol.
Finished surfaces: Since the ethanol in it is a

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solvent, rubbing alcohol can literally liquify

varnishes or finishes, doing major damage to
your furniture or other surfaces in your home.
Avoid using any rubbing alcohol on painted,
shellacked, lacquered, or varnished surfaces,
including treated wood.
Certain fabrics: The isopropyl in alcohol can be
a great stain treatment on certain fabrics,
removing all evidence of difficult stains like ink,
grass, grease, or sap. While your carpet will
thank you for an isopropyl alcohol treatment,
keep in mind some fabrics don’t do well with
alcohol. Delicate or synthetic materials like
acetate, rayon, wool, and silk are best to be
avoided.
When you’re using alcohol to disinfect, it’s
important not to dilute it beyond what’s
recommended by the CDC for killing germs.
Alcohol’s effectiveness at killing germs “drops
sharply when diluted below 50% concentration,”
and the optimal concentration for killing bacteria
is between 60 to 90 percent, according to the

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CDC. Keep in mind that when you buy rubbing

alcohol at the store, it’s already diluted with water
in a concentration indicated on the label
(commonly 70 percent or 90-91 percent).

5. Don’t use rubbing alcohol on

certain wounds or skin conditions.

It’s common for doctors to sterilize medical

equipment with isopropyl alcohol given its
antiseptic properties, and you may even use it to
sanitize your tweezers before removing a splinter
or to clean a small cut on your skin. But using
large amounts of isopropyl alcohol, or covering a
large area of your skin, can cause serious
damage. Avoid using rubbing alcohol to clean
wounds or other more serious injuries, since it
can delay healing and lead to even more skin
irritation. Also skip using it on sensitive areas,
like sunburned, dry, or otherwise irritated skin.
And if you’re thinking about using rubbing alcohol
to DIY hand sanitizer, you should think again.

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6. Don’t ingest it.

Some first-aid kit staples, like hydrogen peroxide,

are safe to use in small amounts internally. Not
the case with rubbing alcohol. According to the
National Capital Poison Center, rubbing alcohol,
even in small amounts, is toxic when ingested.
Like any other cleaning supply, keep your alcohol
out of reach of children, and never put rubbing
alcohol in a glass or another container, since it
can easily be mistaken for water.
Ashley Abramson is a mom/writer hybrid living in
the Twin Cities. She most frequently writes on
health, motherhood, and culture and the places
where they intersect.

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