Denatured alcohol
Ethanol made undrinkable, and the solvent half of the one damp-wipe solution conservation guidance specifies for glass.
What not to do
Denatured alcohol is prohibited by the manufacturer for Laptop computer
Best avoided
The available guidance advises against this.
Device makers do not agree on ethanol. A phone manufacturer permits ethanol above 70% on its own glass, ceramic and metal surfaces; this computer manufacturer excludes ethyl alcohol from its equipment altogether. Each instruction belongs to its own maker's products.
Evidence
Supported
Sources
Guidance for Keeping Your Dell Technologies Equipment Clean
Dell Technologies · Manufacturer documentation
Relied on for: That ethyl alcohol is named on the list of substances that must not be used on the equipment. Applied here to denatured alcohol, which is ethanol made undrinkable. (inferred from the source; not stated directly)
How do I clean my Galaxy phone?
Samsung Electronics · Manufacturer documentation
Relied on for: That a different device manufacturer permits an alcohol-based disinfectant at more than 70% ethanol or isopropyl alcohol on the glass, ceramic and metal surfaces of its phones. (background and mechanism only)
Precautions
- Ventilate the area
- Do not apply to a hot surface
- Never mix with other cleaning products
- Keep away from children and pets
In detail
Ethanol with additives that make it unfit to drink, sold in the United Kingdom as methylated spirit. It matters in cleaning for the same reasons isopropyl alcohol does — it dissolves oily soils, mixes with water in any proportion, and evaporates without leaving a residue — and it is not interchangeable with isopropyl alcohol in every application, because the denaturants differ between products and some leave a trace. Federal conservation guidance names it as the bulk of a specified damp-wipe solution for stable glass and high-fired ceramic: ten parts denatured alcohol, eight parts distilled or deionised water, one part non-detergent household ammonia. That ratio is the evidence; a splash of meths on a cloth is not the same instruction. The stainless steel trade body separately lists methylated spirit among the hydrocarbon solvents that remove oil and grease from steel. Its hazards are the ordinary alcohol ones and they are not trivial: it is flammable, its vapour is an irritant, and the denaturants are toxic. It must never be used near a flame or a hot surface, and never mixed with bleach.
Properties
- pH
- Approximately neutral
What works
Denatured alcohol is effective against Grease Supported
Denatured alcohol is safe on, in specific conditions, Glass
Safe only in specific conditions
This is only appropriate within specific limits, and nothing is established outside them.
Only within these limits:
- Ten parts denatured alcohol, eight parts distilled or deionised water, one part NON-DETERGENT household ammonia
- Only where dry dusting has not been enough
- Stable glass only — not where the surface is unstable, cracked, or carries over-glaze decoration
- Turn the cloth to a clean face as it loads with dirt
A specified ratio rather than a splash on a cloth. The ammonia in it can react with unstable glazed and glass surfaces, which is why the stability condition is not boilerplate.
Precautions
- Never mix with other cleaning products
- Ventilate the area
- Test on an inconspicuous area first
Evidence
Supported
Sources
Conserve O Gram 8/1: Removing Dust From Ceramic And Glass Objects
National Park Service, US Department of the Interior, 1993 · Government or regulator
Relied on for: That damp wiping may be done on stable glass and high-fired ceramic objects without cracks in the glaze or over-glaze decoration, using a solution of ten parts denatured alcohol, eight parts distilled or deionised water and one part non-detergent household ammonia. (states this directly)
Why
- Denatured alcohol is explained by Surfactancy
Sources for this page
Sources
Conserve O Gram 8/1: Removing Dust From Ceramic And Glass Objects
National Park Service, US Department of the Interior, 1993 · Government or regulator
Relied on for: That a solution of ten parts denatured alcohol, eight parts distilled or deionised water and one part non-detergent household ammonia is directed for damp wiping stable glass and high-fired ceramic objects. (states this directly)
Care and Maintenance of Stainless Steel
British Stainless Steel Association, Stainless Steel Advisory Service, 2001 · Trade or professional body
Relied on for: That hydrocarbon solvents including methylated spirit are the trade body's answer for oil and grease on stainless steel. (states this directly)