HOW TO USE RUBBING ALCOHOL

Happy Wednesday friends!  A few weeks ago I had a friend message me asking if you could infuse rubbing alcohol?  She doesn’t love the smell of it and she saw my post about infusing vinegar and wondered if the same could be done with this.  I truthfully didn’t know.  But, I got to searching and discovered that you can infuse it!  With lemon peels.  So, today I’m going to share a quick tutorial on how to do that and then I thought we could look at how to use rubbing alcohol because this non-toxic powerhouse has so many uses!

Note: This post contains affiliate links which means that if you shop from them I earn a small commission. 

HOW TO INFUSE RUBBING ALCOHOL

Infusing rubbing alcohol could not be easier.  You simply fill a mason jar with lemon peels and fill with rubbing alcohol.  Then let sit for 2 weeks and voila!  It’s ready to go.  I will admit I had my doubts.  Rubbing alcohol is a strong smell.  But when I opened the jar after 2 weeks, I was greeted with mostly a lemon scent with a faint hint of rubbing alcohol.  It was so much better!  Best yet, the alcohol extracts the awesome cleaning properties from the lemon peel, which gives you an even better cleaner.  The lemon peels will actually become almost white and the rubbing alcohol becomes bright yellow!

WHICH ALCOHOL IS BETTER?

There has long been a great debate for which rubbing alcohol to use.  70% or 90-99%?  I recently researched this because I was so sick of wondering!  Basically, here’s the gist of what I found (I don’t have the articles but a quick Google search should produce them  The two I found had microbiologists weighing in so I trusted the info. and with my nursing background, what they said made sense).

90-99% isopropyl alcohol is stronger however it evaporates quicker.  So if using alcohol to disinfect and kills germs and viruses you want 70%.  It’s diluted but the water allows it not to evaporate as quickly and essentially gives it time to penetrate the cell wall of the germ, get on the inside, and kill it.  So, when using rubbing alcohol to disinfect, always try to get 70%.

Okay, so now that we know all of that, let’s look at how to use rubbing alcohol.

Rubbing alcohol has been a favorite non-toxic ingredient of mine for a while.  Between it and vinegar I rarely need anything else.  It has so many uses!  And it’s without a doubt a must have item to have in my all-natural cleaning arsenal.  Let’s look at all the ways to use rubbing alcohol around the home.

*Note:  If using the infused rubbing alcohol I would follow with wiping down with a wet rag (depending on the surface) because the lemon could leave a sticky residue behind.

HOW TO USE RUBBING ALCOHOL

1. As a Disinfectant

Rubbing alcohol is actually an even stronger disinfectant than vinegar.  It’s able to kill germs like flu, e-coli, common cold, and Covid.  Ditch those toxic store bought disinfecting wipes that are harmful to your health.  Simply fill a spray bottle with rubbing alcohol (again 70% ideally) and get to spraying those surfaces.  These are my favorite spray bottles.

I recently cleaned all of Leyton’s toys and the items I couldn’t soak in a vinegar bath I wiped down with a pure rubbing alcohol spray.

It also works great in this Multi-Purpose Spray below.

2. Remove Print From Plastic Containers

Want to reuse an old cleaning bottle to house new, non-toxic cleaners?  You can soak a cotton ball in rubbing alcohol and rub over the label and it should take it off.  You can then write on the bottle what’s inside.

3. Remove Scuff Marks and/or Permanent Marker

4. Remove Grease Buildup on Stove or Microwave

Apply to a cloth and simply wipe down or fill a spray bottle with it and target the greasy area then wipe clean.

5. Remove Sticky Residue

I hate when price tags, labels, or stickers leave sticky residue behind.  Ditch the toxic Goo-Gone or similar products and spray alcohol to the area and wipe clean.  Lemon essential oil is also great for this or the lemon infused rubbing alcohol.

6. Clean Electronics

The nice thing about alcohol is that it evaporates so quickly that it’s safe to use a light amount on electronics.  If you have 70% that’s fine but here is where 90-99% would be great since it evaporates even faster.  I wouldn’t use the infused alcohol for this just because it might leave a sticky residue or film behind that you can’t really wipe off with a wet rag.

7. Deodorizer

Great for spraying inside running shoes, or for cleaning out trash cans or diaper pails.

8. Hand Sanitizer

Spray on hands directly or combine with Aloe Vera.  Here’s the recipe for that.

9. Glass Cleaner

An easy recipe for this is:

4 tbsp. alcohol + 3 tbsp. vinegar + 1/2 cup water

10. Appliance Cleaner

Spray directly onto appliances and wipe with a microfiber cloth to clean off smudges.

Okay friends!  That does it.  Those are some of the top ways for cleaning with alcohol.  There’s even more uses for it out there.  It’s truly one of the best products to have in your home and a great option for ditching some of those toxic products and switching to safer, natural options.  Trust me, you don’t need the chemicals to get a clean.

If you liked this post be sure to pin it to be able to refer back to it.  Thanks so much for stopping by!

xo, Jill