Rubbing Alcohol and all its Wonderfulness!

I admit it. I am a rubbing alcoholic…when it comes to cleaning. It does SO many things that I never thought it could. When I visit the local Walmart I stock up and I even have a basket dedicated to my stock in the laundry room; that’s how much I love it. Sanitizer. De-greaser. Dog accident cleaner-upper. Miraculous little product that costs pennies compared to all the other cleaning products designed to clean our homes. I usually mix it with 50% water to make it go a little further and it still does a glorious job. Here are a few of my favorite rubbing alcohol cleaning tips:

Granite Counter Tops: Rubbing alcohol will leave your countertops sanitized and sparkling clean. Plus, it won’t degrade the sealant.
Ink pen, Sharpie or Permanent Marker: Rubbing alcohol will remove ink stains from clothing and from almost any hard surface (plastic, laminate, etc.)
Chrome fixtures: Rubbing alcohol will shine and clean anything chrome to a mirror-like finish.
Windows / Mirrors: Of course, it will also shine mirrors and windows without streaks.
Hairspray / Hair Product Build-Up: Use Rubbing alcohol to remove hairspray or product build-up from curling irons / flat irons and countertops.
Remove Sticky Residue: Price tags, band-aid residue, or tape residue, rubbing alcohol will get rid of it.
Carpet: To spot clean carpet you can spray rubbing alcohol directly on most carpets and wipe it up with a rag. It will get out just about any stain. Honestly, I haven’t found anything that rubbing alcohol won’t remove from carpet! If you use a carpet steamer, 50% rubbing alcohol, 40% water, and 10% vinegar (approximate percentages) will work better than most commercial brands. The alcohol sanitizes and cuts grease and the vinegar deodorizes. Using any type of soap on carpet only leaves residue that will eventually attract more dirt to your carpet.
Acrylic Paint: Crafting a little messy lately? Don’t worry. Rubbing alcohol can get it out of your clothes.
Cell Phones, Computer Screens, Pretty much all Electronics: Spray rubbing alcohol on a microfiber or lint free cloth and wipe electronics to get rid of germs, fingerprints, etc. The alcohol evaporates quickly so it’s safe for electronics.
Blinds: We have painted wood blinds and so I use the tried-and-true trick of an old sock on my hand plus a mixture of 50% water and 50% rubbing alcohol.
Stainless Steel: Wipe down your stainless appliances with rubbing alcohol first, to get rid of fingerprints and grime. Then use your favorite stainless cleaner and you won’t believe the shine!
Plastic: Any plastic surface cleans up nicely with some rubbing alcohol.
Microfiber: If you have microfiber furniture, a little rubbing alcohol on a sponge will get rid of all that gross stuff.
Sinks, Toilets and Tubs: Instead of bleach try a little rubbing alcohol to disinfect these germy little places. I wipe every surface of the toilet (seat, handle, top, lid, flange, sides..) and even the floor around it to make sure it’s as clean as a whistle. In the tub it works nicely to shine the tile and quickly eliminates ring-around-the-tub. Ewww.

Basically, in our house, if it’s a non-porous surface and not made of wood, you can bet I’ve used rubbing alcohol to clean it. Do you have a use for it that I haven’t listed? Tell me in the comments below; I’d love to know!

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Comments

My Favorite Rubbing Alcohol Cleaning Tips — 25 Comments

Katie @ Addicted 2 DIY on February 3, 2014 at 4:58 pm said:

I had no idea rubbing alcohol did all of that! I use vinegar for most things, but I may have to sub in some rubbing alcohol for some things. Thanks for sharing these great tips!

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- Amanda Nelson on February 3, 2014 at 5:20 pm said:
  
  You’re welcome. It’s one of life’s little miracles. 🙂
Angie on February 4, 2014 at 12:28 am said:

I use rubbing alcohol to clean my makeup brushes. Wow, I did not know that alcohol could be used for so many house hold duties also. Now i do not have to spend as much money on cleaning supplies, (more money for me to spend on cosmetics lol) thanks for the tips.

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- Amanda Nelson on February 4, 2014 at 1:53 am said:
  
  Oh wow I never thought about that. It probably works just as well as those expensive brush cleaners too. Thanks Angie!
- Alisa on August 27, 2023 at 7:01 pm said:
  
  You know that the best thing to do is? Spray on paper towel and rub your brushes over that area in between each use as well as in between each color. It dries really fast so I don’t worry about using the brush on my skin directly after. I used to get horrible cystic and. Once I started doing this daily with my makeup routine, gone. This brushes are a huge culprit to skin issues. Disinfect those brushes ladies!
Angela (Life in Velvet) on February 6, 2014 at 10:59 am said:

So, so smart! Thanks so much for sharing! I have a huge bottle of rubbing alcohol that is going to be empty after all the things I clean with it after reading this 🙂 Spring cleaning here I come!

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Richella Parham on February 12, 2014 at 9:13 pm said:

I love this post! Rubbing alcohol is one of my favorite cleaning tools, but I’ve learned some new uses here!

Thanks so much for joining Grace at Home. I’m featuring you this week!

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- Amanda Nelson on February 13, 2014 at 1:14 am said:
  
  Oh cool! Thank you so much for featuring me. I’m flattered. 🙂
sl on February 14, 2014 at 8:00 am said:

Love the tip for carpwet cleaning steam machines. I am going to try it. I use rubbing alcohol all the time to keep my house clean. I like to add it to baby wipes for quick clean ups in the bathroom. Thanks for the tips!

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- Amanda Nelson on February 14, 2014 at 4:39 pm said:
  
  I hate carpet, especially with pets, but that is one recipe that works! Definitely try it and let me know what you think. Take care. 🙂
Tina Matteson on February 14, 2014 at 10:27 am said:

Wow, I’m gonna go try some of these ideas right now! Thank you!

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- Amanda Nelson on February 14, 2014 at 4:40 pm said:
  
  You’re welcome and thanks for visiting! 🙂
SandyMun on February 15, 2014 at 8:45 pm said:

Thanks for all these great ides (I had some in use, but not all!) and a warning for all about vinegar: it is one of the few things that should never be used on granite or quartz! Splurged on a housecleaning in Dec. & the gal in training must have used it on my quartz island. The owner tried many things to get the streaks out & finally he paid a granite guy to come in & take care of it (a couple of hours of treating, buffing, & finishing).

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- Amanda Michelle on February 16, 2014 at 12:07 am said:
  
  Thanks for sharing SandyMun. I didn’t know vinegar and quartz were a bad combo. Stick with the rubbibg alcohol; if it doesn’t hurt granite quartz should be just fine. Take care!
Carol on February 20, 2014 at 8:38 am said:

These ideas all sound worth trying, but the first one i will use is for cleaning my flatiron!

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Lynda Stokes on September 25, 2014 at 5:22 am said:

The ideas are great! Some of them are really new for me! I will try them! Thanks!

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- Amanda Nelson on September 25, 2014 at 8:02 pm said:
  
  Thanks Lynda. I use them all and I’ve never found anything better – it’s my go-to ingredient!
Nana McHale on March 19, 2015 at 11:59 am said:

I have discovered that if you can’t wash your hair and you need to on the spot, spray some alcohol on your brush and brush through your hair. Spray generously and repeat. Your hair will seem wet but will dry in minutes. It will hold also, almost like hair spray. Also spray your mirror and watch it clean itself, then wipe dry. It’s better than vinegar. One last tip: I’m not satisfied with room sprays so I tried using my handy fine mist bottle full of alcohol and spray up in the air and it works great without soaking what it lands on. Yes, I like to use a lot so the ability of the alcohol to evaporate is great and the smell is gone in minutes

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Susan on February 5, 2018 at 5:29 pm said:

I clean my cell phone with rubbing alcohol on a regular basis

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D on May 22, 2018 at 3:07 pm said:

I have been a huge user of rubbing alcohol. I just love it !! I also add essential oil to it and use it as an air freshener, rug and upholstery cleaner and refresher, and on virtually any surface to clean, disinfect and freshen.

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Pat on September 7, 2019 at 9:58 am said:

It does not work for gel ink stains, I wish I could find something that does. Hubby ruined a brand new shirt with a gel pen.

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Shannon on January 12, 2020 at 5:22 pm said:

I recently read it kills bed bugs. What about fleas! Like in dog beds and their coats?

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Josie maldonado on April 28, 2020 at 11:23 am said:

What about stains on microfiber couches, used expensive upholstery cleaners don’t seem too work, leaves some areas rough, any ideas, greatly appreciated. Stains still there HELP!

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- Amanda Nelson on April 28, 2020 at 11:55 am said:
  
  The only experience I have with microfiber was at my cousin’s house when we stayed there after our home flooded. My then 2 year old drew on her microfiber dining chairs and luckily alcohol took it right out. I can’t guarantee anything, but if the stain has already ruined a couch then it’s worth a shot! It may take repeated applications to get it all so don’t give up. 🙂