Uses for Rubbing Alcohol

Rubbing alcohol typically comprises of 70 percent isopropyl alcohol, but the percentage can range from 60 to 99 percent. This type of alcohol is different than ethanol or ethyl alcohol in liquor, beer, and wine. Rubbing alcohol is colourless and looks a lot like water, explains the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

Rubbing alcohol is one of the main ingredients in hand sanitizer, according to the Food and Drug Administration. Due to the spread of Covid-19, you now possible have a bottle (or a few) of rubbing alcohol in your medicine cabinet as your go-to disinfectant for killing germs. After all, rubbing alcohol is considered a powerful germicide, especially at concentrations of 60 percent or more.

To know how to use it safely and effectively for health purposes, it’s important to first learn about its composition.

Get rid of Nausea

Breathing in the strong, powerful fumes of rubbing alcohol can reduce nausea. Inhalation of rubbing alcohol was more effective than standard anti-nausea medications in some studies. It’s safe to try this at home in a pinch.

Remove splinters

Rubbing alcohol can be used to sanitize your skin before you try to remove a splinter. In these examples, pour some rubbing alcohol on a cotton ball and dab the area with the splinter. You can also clean and disinfect your tweezer with alcohol before you try to remove your splinter.

Disinfect the area of daily insulin injections for diabetes

People with diabetes who need insulin injections to help control blood sugar levels must clean and disinfect the area with an alcohol swab or rubbing alcohol-soaked cotton before injecting. It’s also important to wait until the alcohol has dried before you inject.

Trimming nails

Wipe down your nail clippers or scissors with rubbing alcohol before you give yourself a manicure or pedicure or trim a child’s nails. You can apply it to a cotton ball and wipe the tools down or submerge them in rubbing alcohol. This 30-second exercise gets rid of germs STAT.

Ear piercing

Newly pierced ears can become infected. Rubbing alcohol, when applied to a cotton ball and used to clean around the piercing twice daily, can help hinder infection. Using a thin coat of petroleum jelly around the opening is also useful.

Removing a tick

Ticks can carry many types of disease, and therefore it’s important to remove any ticks you find on your body as quickly and safely as possible to minimize the risk of developing a tick-borne illness.

First, clean the bite area and your hands with rubbing alcohol, an iodine scrub, or soap and water after you remove the tick with tweezers. Discard the live tick by putting it in rubbing alcohol, placing it in a closed bag or container, wrapping it tightly in tape, or flushing it down the toilet, is recommended.

Disinfecting your thermometer

Rubbing alcohol can disinfect thermometers between uses, opines the American Academy of Pediatrics. This holds for rectal and oral thermometers, the group says. Remember to let the alcohol dry entirely before using the thermometer.

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