Why 70% rubbing alcohol is better than 99% for disinfecting

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Stronger is better, isn’t it? CConcentrated dish soap lathers better. Higher proof rum will get you drunk faster. you yourself Scoop your ice cream out of the tub with the most fudge and nuts. But when it comes to rubbing alcohol, a higher concentration are not always better after all.

Drugstores carry rubbing alcohol in two varieties: A 70% version. ,for disinfection)And Another version for 91% or 99% … well, it may not be immediately clear. But if you’re going to grab some isopropyl alcohol or some drugstore-grade ethyl alcohol, you need to know the difference.

Use 70% when you want disinfectant

70% alcohol mixtures (whether isopropyl or ethyl) are the best kind for disinfection, and if you look at the fine print on the label, they’ll often say what they’re for.

The other 30%, by the way, is water. Our best understanding of how alcohol kills germs the cdc explains, is that it denotes protein. Proteins are made of strings of amino acids, and they can get bent out of formation — essentially, loose and tangled — when we cook them or Treat them with some chemicals. Proteins denature more easily in the presence of water, so the thinking is that the extra water helps the alcohol to be able to Break down proteins in viruses, bacteria and fungi.

Whatever the reason, experiments have shown that the concentration of alcohol that can kill microbes falls between 50% and 90%, and 70% isopropyl rubbing alcohol falls squarely in the middle of the range. 99% stuff is not.

Use 99% when you want a solvent

so why is Sold by 99% Isopropyl Alcohol (or 91%) In drugstores? it’s for cleaning things when you don’t care about killing germs, but when you Doing care about humidity. For example, if you are trying Make sure electronic components are clean and dry, 99% alcohol is perfect. For the same reason it is also used clean skin oil from nails Before applying nail polish.

High concentration alcohols are also good as solvents for making some types of dyes, inks etc. For example, 99% isopropyl alcohol would be my go-to choice for scrubbing Sharpie marks off a dry-erase board. Rubbing alcohol also acts as a solvent. this craft Which makes watercolor tiles by diluting Sharpie ink. In short, 99% is a great choice for anything rubbing alcohol can do, In addition to this Disinfection.

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