Alternative Uses of Rubbing Alcohol

Rubbing alcohol is a preparation of 97.5% concentrated or 100% pure ethanol or isopropanol in water. The chemical formula of rubbing alcohol is C₃H₈O. It is absolutely undrinkable as it can cause poisoning inside the body, if ingested. It is inflammable and widely used in the medical world to disinfect skin and surgical equipments. When applied to skin, rubbing alcohol has a cooling effect, causes dilation of blood vessels and evaporates quickly. Its alcohol concentration may vary from 68% to 99%. Rubbing alcohol is denatured with additive poisonous chemicals that render it unfit for drinking. This ensures that the alcohol solution is used for other purposes. So, rubbing alcohol is not taxed heavily and, hence, is available at a cheaper rate as compared to your drinking alcohol. You may have been traditionally using it in your households as an antibacterial cleaning agent for tables, kitchen slabs, floors, thermometers and kids' toys. It's also often used to disinfect wounds, cuts or bruises after washing with soap. However, apart from being used in hand sanitizers, there are many other alternative uses of rubbing alcohol.

33 Uses of Rubbing Alcohol

1. Gadget surface cleaner: Did you know? Your laptops, personal computers, screen, printer heads, magnetic tapes, Mp3 players and especially your cellphones, carry a lot of germs and bacteria on their surface. This is because they may be dusted but not disinfected regularly. This makes them a favorable breeding ground for germs. If you are getting acne only on one side of your cheek and it is the side you use to talk over the phone, it is because the bacteria on your phone get transferred on to your skin and cause break outs. You can dab some rubbing alcohol on a cotton bud and use it to clean the surface of your cellphones, keyboards and mouse.
2. Astringent substitute: Mix equal parts of rubbing alcohol with water and gently apply all over your skin with a cotton swab. Let it dry, then wash after 15 minutes. Follow up with aloe vera gel. Use this cheap astringent once or twice a week for normal skin and thrice a week for oily skin. It helps reduce oiliness and take off dirt from the skin's surface. Do not overuse and do not use for prolonged periods else it can cause severe irritation, cracks and flakiness. Always do a patch test to check for skin sensitivity.
3. Shoe stretcher: This was one use of rubbing alcohol, I must say, I was relieved to find. You can often end up buying shoes that are a size smaller because your feet changes sizes about 10% during the day. That is one shoe size. Did you know? Feet of lean people become longer during the day, while obese people have a widening effect on their feet. It is said that rubbing alcohol can help you increase your shoe size. Apply a thin coating of rubbing alcohol on your shoes and inside the soles and let them work the magic.
4. Cut down water weight: Mix a gallon of Epsom salt and 5 to 8 bottles of rubbing alcohol in hot water. The temperature of the water should be as high as you can handle. Soak in the tub for 45 minutes and then head straight to bed. This is a secret used by wrestlers to get rid of excess water weight before a match. You will lose almost 4 pounds overnight.
5. Hair highlights: It can have a drying effect on your hair and may weaken it. However, this is how rubbing alcohol should be used to get natural orange tinged blonde highlights in your hair. Mix rubbing alcohol with water and spray on your hair. Then, comb through it. Rubbing alcohol has a bleaching effect on your hair. The outcome of the highlights' color depends upon your natural hair color. This method is best suited for dirty blondes. Do apply generous quantities of a conditioner or a heavy duty oil like coconut oil, olive oil or avocado oil, later.
6. Head lice treatment: Some people have been using rubbing alcohol to kill head lice with positive results. It is not recommended for children and you should absolutely avoid its contact with your eyes at all costs. Dip your comb in rubbing alcohol each time you use it through your hair. Or you can simply apply rubbing alcohol to your hair and let it sit for 20 minutes. The results are instant.
7. Ear wax removal: If you have trouble with excessive accumulation of ear wax, dab some rubbing alcohol with vinegar, in equal parts, into your ear. This solution will dissolve the wax. Clean with a soft cloth. Repeat once in every two weeks.
8. CD cleaner: You can now clean your CDs and DVDs by spraying some alcohol on its surface to wipe off any fingerprints that may cause them to skip often.
9. Athlete's foot: Rubbing alcohol can prevent athlete's foot from worsening as it dries out the skin when applied and hardens it.
10. De-frosting windows: If your room windows or car windows have frosted, spray some rubbing alcohol to melt the ice instantly. In fact, you can use it to clean mirrors and glass windows in the winter to avoid fogging and also to give them a shine.
11. Disinfecting eye glasses: To clean eye glasses, use rubbing alcohol to disinfect any germs or bacteria on it. Eyes are very sensitive and can easily catch an infection that your spectacles may carry.
12. Nail paint remover: If you have run out of your nail paint remover, you can dab on some rubbing alcohol on cotton to remove your nail paint. I just tried this one yesterday and it works like a charm.
13. Wash fruits and vegetables: Fruits and vegetables are cultivated with heavy use of pesticides which can throw your hormonal levels off the balance once ingested. Studies suggest that when rubbing alcohol was used to wash apples, it reduced the percentage of bacteria present on the skin of the fruits to as less as 5%. Spraying rubbing alcohol also helps prevent fruit flies.
14. Insecticide: Rubbing alcohol works as a safe insecticide to get rid of garden pests without harming your plants. In fact, you can spray some on you mattress to get rid of bed bugs too!
15. Dry out lesions: If excessive itching due to insect bite has caused lesions on your skin, dab a little rubbing alcohol on it to dry it out. You don't even have to really wait for a bump after you have been bitten by an insect. Just apply some rubbing alcohol on that area. Also, you can use it to cure infection caused by piercings.
16. Reduce swelling: When applied to a swollen patch on your skin, rubbing alcohol can help soothe and reduce it a bit. The rubbing alcohol is a rubefacient and will bring blood to that area to reduce the blue-black spots on the skin. Or, you may also use it to make an ice-pack in the ratio of 1:3 with water. It will prevent absolute solidification of water, making it slushy and more bearable on skin.
17. Osteoporosis: The above method can also be used to soothe joint pain and swelling.
18. Glossy fixtures: To remove grim residue and bring shine back to lamps, candles, metal fixtures such as door-knobs and taps, clean them with rubbing alcohol.
19. Jewelry cleaner: If you need to clean the alkaline deposits off your jewelry, let it soak in rubbing alcohol for a few minutes and clean with a cloth. It will bring back the shine to your jewelry. Rubbing alcohol always works on metal.
20. Candle cleaner: Apart from cleaning the candle stand, rubbing alcohol can also be used to wipe the dust off the candles which is otherwise difficult due to the waxy texture. Your candles will look as good as new.
21. Stain removal: If your clothes have ink, grease, wax or blood stains on them, let the spot soak in some rubbing alcohol for a while and then wash. It will completely remove the stains.
22. Tick removal: An alternative use of rubbing alcohol is to remove ticks from your cat or dog's coat. Ticks hate alcohol and will immediately loosen their grip from the skin. Use tweezers to pull them out. This is a less painful and safe method to remove ticks without bacterial infection.
23. Shoe stink removal: If your shoes have been stinking a lot lately, spray the soles with rubbing alcohol and leave it at a sunny spot.
24. Nail fungus: Soaking your hands or feet in a tub filled water and rubbing alcohol can help get rid of bacterial growth under nails. Do this daily until fungus vanishes.
25. Sterilizing tools: You can use rubbing alcohol to sterilize your Swiss knife, scissors, kitchen knives, chopping board and razors to prevent infection.
26. Prevent sweat stains: Sweat stains are often found on shirt collars, armpits, inner elbows and knees. To prevent these stains, wipe skin with rubbing alcohol. It works like a natural antiperspirant.
27. Stains on marble/granite: Rubbing alcohol easily dissolves stains of permanent markers and crayons on non-permeable surfaces like marble and kitchen counter-tops. It is also useful to clean the stickiness left if something sweet like honey or chocolate syrup is dropped on the floor.
28. Removing stickers: To remove the price stickers off utensils and clothes without leaving the sticky glue on them, pour some rubbing alcohol on the tag and let it sit for 10 minutes. Rubbing alcohol is a dissolvent and will peel tags off easily.
29. Disinfecting air freshener: Mix a tablespoon of fragrant oil with half a cup of rubbing alcohol and spray in your rooms for a long lasting scent.
30. Odor removal: You can apply rubbing alcohol to your palms if they stink after chopping onions or garlic. It removes the odor just like a sanitizer.
31. Soothing body ache: Since it brings blood flow to the skin's surface, an alternative use of rubbing alcohol is as a substitute to massage oil. It instantly cools and relaxes the muscles.
32. Clean white boards: If your white dry erase boards have blue-black spots from the use of markers, you can make them look as white as new by cleaning with rubbing alcohol. Isn't this wonderful for classrooms too?
33. Other household uses: Other uses of rubbing alcohol include cleaning the sticky grim and dust off chimneys and blinds. Dip cleaning cloth in rubbing alcohol and wipe off the dusty area.

You can easily get your bottle from the chemist's shop. Make sure you keep it away from children as they may ingest it. It is converted into acetone by the liver. Drinking rubbing alcohol can cause blindness, nausea, severe headaches, giddiness, drowsiness and may lead to coma. Also keep it away from fire place, gas burner and other sources of fire as it is easily inflammable and can start a fire. Always remember to keep your bottle of rubbing alcohol away from natural dyes, painted surfaces and lacquer or pearl-finishes. It is known to strip oil and moisture. By the way, have you heard about the use of rubbing alcohol for acne? Yes, rubbing alcohol can take away your beauty woes too! I am sure you must be really surprised reading some of the alternative uses of rubbing alcohol here. Well, don't just keep it sitting in your medicine cabinet anymore.