Acetone
The solvent in nail polish remover. The same fact sheet that lists it as a solvent for plastics also warns, in three words, that it attacks them.
What not to do
Acetone is unsafe on Household plastics
Unsafe
Do not do this. The risk is established, and it is described below.
Damage is dissolution or crazing rather than a mark, and it cannot be polished out.
Precautions
- Ventilate the area
- Test on an inconspicuous area first
Evidence
Strongly supported
Sources
Right to Know Hazardous Substance Fact Sheet: Acetone (RTK 0006)
New Jersey Department of Health, 2015 · Government or regulator
Relied on for: That acetone attacks plastics, and is a solvent for plastics. (states this directly)
Acetone is unsafe on Laminate worktop
Unsafe
Do not do this. The risk is established, and it is described below.
A nail-varnish spill and its remover are among the commonest ways a laminate worktop is ruined.
Precautions
- Test on an inconspicuous area first
Evidence
Supported
Sources
Right to Know Hazardous Substance Fact Sheet: Acetone (RTK 0006)
New Jersey Department of Health, 2015 · Government or regulator
Relied on for: That acetone is a solvent for resins, plastics and varnishes. (states this directly)
Acetone is unsafe on Coated spectacle lens
Unsafe
Do not do this. The risk is established, and it is described below.
Evidence
Supported
Sources
Lens and Screen Cleaning: how to clean your glasses
Carl Zeiss Vision · Manufacturer documentation
Relied on for: That the manufacturer excludes solvents and household cleaners from coated lenses. (states this directly)
Right to Know Hazardous Substance Fact Sheet: Acetone (RTK 0006)
New Jersey Department of Health, 2015 · Government or regulator
Relied on for: That acetone is a solvent for resins, plastics and varnishes. (states this directly)
Acetone should be avoided for Plastic storage boxes
Best avoided
The available guidance advises against this.
Precautions
- Test on an inconspicuous area first
- Ventilate the area
Evidence
Supported
Sources
Right to Know Hazardous Substance Fact Sheet: Acetone (RTK 0006)
New Jersey Department of Health, 2015 · Government or regulator
Relied on for: That acetone attacks plastics and is a solvent for resins and plastics. (states this directly)
Conserve O Gram 8/4: Care and Identification of Objects Made from Plastic
National Park Service, US Department of the Interior · Government or regulator
Relied on for: That improper cleaning techniques cause damage and accelerate deterioration of plastics. (states this directly)
Acetone is prohibited by the manufacturer for Laptop computer
Best avoided
The available guidance advises against this.
Nail-varnish remover is the household form, and it is the solvent people reach for when a sticker or ink mark will not shift.
Evidence
Supported
Sources
Guidance for Keeping Your Dell Technologies Equipment Clean
Dell Technologies · Manufacturer documentation
Relied on for: That bleach and chlorine-based cleaners, ammonia, hydrogen peroxide and other peroxides, ethyl alcohol, and the solvents acetone, paint thinner, benzene, methylene chloride and toluene are named as substances that must not be used on the manufacturer's equipment. (states this directly)
Precautions
- Ventilate the area
- Test on an inconspicuous area first
- Keep away from children and pets
- Never mix with other cleaning products
- Do not apply to a hot surface
In detail
Acetone is the strongest solvent most households contain, and almost nobody thinks of it that way because it arrives in a small bottle labelled nail polish remover. The regulator's description names what it dissolves: fats, oils, waxes, resins, plastics and varnishes. Four words into that list is the reason it is dangerous to furniture — plastics. The warning later on the same sheet reads simply that acetone attacks plastics, and it is not a side effect but the same property applied to something the reader did not mean to dissolve. A drop on a laminate worktop, an acrylic bath, a painted surface, a varnished table or a spectacle lens does damage that cannot be polished out, because the surface has softened rather than been marked. The carpet trade nonetheless names nail polish remover as a legitimate step for greasy and resinous spills, with a specific caution attached: the amyl-acetate kind leaves residues that cause rapid resoiling and must be rinsed with dry solvent. Acetone is a flammable liquid and a dangerous fire hazard, and it forms explosive peroxides on contact with oxidising agents.
Properties
- Chemical name
- Propan-2-one
- pH
- Not applicable
What works
Acetone is effective against Nail varnish Strongly supported
Acetone is effective against Glue and adhesive Supported
Why
- Acetone is explained by Solubility and polarity
- Acetone is explained by Solvents and polymers
- Acetone is explained by Solvent crazing
- Acetone is explained by Skin is not a surface
Hacks and claims involving this
Sources for this page
Sources
Right to Know Hazardous Substance Fact Sheet: Acetone (RTK 0006)
New Jersey Department of Health, 2015 · Government or regulator
Relied on for: That acetone is a solvent for fats, oils, waxes, resins, plastics and varnishes and is used in nail polish remover, that it attacks plastics, and that it is a flammable liquid and a dangerous fire hazard. (states this directly)