Isopropyl alcohol
A solvent that dissolves oils and residues and evaporates without a trace. Useful on electronics and glass; flammable, and damaging to some plastics and finishes.
What not to do
Never mix
Chloroform and related chlorinated compounds are formed. The reported effects of exposure are dizziness, nausea, headaches and loss of consciousness. Losing consciousness in the presence of the reaction that caused it is what makes this more dangerous than the symptom list suggests, because the exposure continues while the person is unable to leave. Anyone affected should be moved into fresh air immediately and medical advice sought.
Isopropyl alcohol is unsafe on Finished leather
Unsafe
Do not do this. The risk is established, and it is described below.
Alcohol is named in the prohibition list; the objection is to what it does to a water-based finish rather than to the hide.
Precautions
- Test on an inconspicuous area first
- Check the manufacturer's instructions
Why we say this
Strongly supported
Named explicitly by the trade body responsible for the material.
Sources
Leather Care and Cleaning Guide
The Leather Institute, 2011 · Trade or professional body
Relied on for: That cleaners containing alcohol and any strong solvent must never be used, because they may cause cracking or other damage to today's water-based leather finishes. (states this directly)
Verification: a person has read the passage relied on.
Read on — General care and cleaning instructions, basic and advanced cleaning technique, and the Suede section. Supports the claim as stated.
Last reviewed by a person on .
Isopropyl alcohol is unsafe on Suede
Unsafe
Do not do this. The risk is established, and it is described below.
The guide permits odourless mineral spirits as a LAST step on suede and prohibits alcohol outright; the two are not interchangeable.
Precautions
- Test on an inconspicuous area first
- Ventilate the area
- Check the manufacturer's instructions
Why we say this
Strongly supported
The guide prohibits alcohol while naming a different solvent for a specific late step, which is a distinction worth preserving rather than flattening.
Sources
Leather Care and Cleaning Guide
The Leather Institute, 2011 · Trade or professional body
Relied on for: That cleaners containing alcohol and any strong solvent must never be used on leather, while odourless mineral spirits are named only as the final step for oil on suede after cornstarch. (states this directly)
Verification: a person has read the passage relied on.
Read on — General care and cleaning instructions, basic and advanced cleaning technique, and the Suede section. Supports the claim as stated.
Last reviewed by a person on .
Isopropyl alcohol is unsafe on Vinyl flooring
Unsafe
Do not do this. The risk is established, and it is described below.
Precautions
- Test on an inconspicuous area first
- Ventilate the area
- Check the manufacturer's instructions
Why we say this
Supported
The sheet prohibits strong solvents as a class and names three, not including isopropyl alcohol. This applies the class statement and is labelled an interpretation rather than a naming.
Sources
Maintenance Instructions: Vinyl Composition Tile Flooring
Tarkett (Johnsonite / Azrock), 2016 · Manufacturer documentation
Relied on for: That strong solvents, naming gasoline, turpentine and acetone, must not be used on the flooring. (cleaninghq's interpretation of what it says)
Verification: a person has read the passage relied on.
Read on — Introduction, Preventive Care, and Routine / Daily Cleaning. Supports the claim as stated.
Last reviewed by a person on .
Isopropyl alcohol may damage Microwave oven
Best avoided
The available guidance advises against this.
Sprint 27. The other half of the same exclusion, and the half people meet in a screen wipe.
Precautions
- Check the manufacturer's instructions
- Ventilate the area
Why we say this
Supported
The same sentence names both substances and the register records both rather than the more famous one. Appearance damage, not a safety hazard, and the state says so.
Sources
Owner's Manual: Microwave Oven, models JEM31 and PEM31
GE Appliances · Manufacturer documentation
Relied on for: That cleaners containing ammonia or alcohol must not be used on the microwave oven, because ammonia or alcohol can damage the appearance of the microwave. (states this directly)
Verification: a person has read the passage relied on.
Read on — Care and cleaning of the microwave oven, pages 30 and 31 — Helpful Hints, How to Clean the Inside, Removable Turntable and Turntable Support, and How to Clean the Outside. Plus the Microwave terms table on page 29 for arcing. Supports the claim as stated.
Last reviewed by a person on .
Isopropyl alcohol is unsafe on uPVC
Unsafe
Do not do this. The risk is established, and it is described below.
Standing in for the solvent class the manufacturer prohibits. The guide names no individual solvent; it prohibits solvent-based cleaners twice, in capitals.
Why we say this
Supported
The manufacturer prohibits the class rather than the chemical, and CleaningHQ records it against the solvent a domestic reader is most likely to have. The catalogue holds no white spirit or acetone record to attach it to.
Sources
PVC-U Window & Door Systems: Handling, Installation, Maintenance and Care Guide
The VEKA UK Group (VEKA and Halo profile systems), 2014 · Manufacturer documentation
Relied on for: That on no account should solvent based cleaners be used on PVC-U frames, stated again for the hardware alongside a prohibition on multi-purpose lubricants. (states this directly)
Verification: a person has read the passage relied on.
Read on — Section 7.4 Cleaning (7.4.1 PVC-U Frames, 7.4.2 Glass, 7.4.3 Hardware), section 7.6 Maintenance, and section 5.0 Protection. Supports a wider statement — our claim was widened. The demand batch recorded a consumer claim that cream cleaners ruin uPVC over time. The manufacturer's position is narrower and more useful: a NON-ABRASIVE cream cleaner is permitted for stains soapy water will not shift, sparingly, because excess affects the gloss — and is not permitted at all on woodgrain foils. The catalogue models the permission with its conditions rather than either the folk prohibition or a blanket clearance. Hardware being a dry-duster-and-no-water surface was not anticipated at all.
Last reviewed by a person on .
Isopropyl alcohol may damage Coated upholstery
Best avoided
The available guidance advises against this.
The recorded harm is STAINING rather than destruction of the coating. The source lists hand sanitisers among the substances that mark a coated fabric, which is a different finding from a solvent attacking a polymer.
Why we say this
Supported
Sanitiser on a vinyl seat is a real and accepted demand row, and the honest answer is that the trade body treats it as a staining substance rather than as a disinfectant the material tolerates. The note keeps the scope of the harm visible so it is not read as solvent attack.
Sources
ACT Coated Fabric Selection Guide for Healthcare Upholstered Seating
Association for Contract Textiles · Trade or professional body
Relied on for: That hand sanitisers are named among the substances that can stain coated fabric. (states this directly)
Verification: a person has read the passage relied on.
Read on — Section 2, Facility-Specific Cleaning, Sanitizing and Disinfecting (page 2). Supports the claim as stated.
Last reviewed by a person on .
Precautions
- Ventilate the area
- Never mix with other cleaning products
- Check the manufacturer's instructions
- Keep away from children and pets
In detail
Isopropyl alcohol dissolves many organic residues — oils, inks, adhesives, skin oils — and evaporates rapidly and completely. That combination makes it the standard choice where water would cause harm or where no residue can be tolerated, which is why it is used on electronic contacts, optical surfaces and screens. Its limitations follow from the same properties. It is flammable, and its vapour is heavier than air, so it requires ventilation and distance from ignition sources rather than casual use near a hob or a heater. As a solvent it attacks materials as well as soils: it crazes some plastics, lifts certain paints and varnishes, and damages the anti-reflective and oleophobic coatings applied to many display screens, which is why device manufacturers frequently prohibit it despite its being effective at cleaning. Where a manufacturer's instructions address screen cleaning, those instructions govern.
Properties
- Chemical name
- Propan-2-ol
- pH
- Not applicable
What works
Isopropyl alcohol is effective against Grease Supported
Isopropyl alcohol is effective against Oil and grease on textile Strongly supported
Isopropyl alcohol is safe on, in specific conditions, Wool
Safe only in specific conditions
This is only appropriate within specific limits. Outside those limits, CleaningHQ makes no claim.
Sprint 29. A positive conditional for a solvent on a protein fibre, which the register did not hold.
Only within these limits:
- Diluted — three parts surgical spirit to one part cold water for red wine, fruit and fruit juice
- Equal parts warm water and surgical spirit for alcoholic drinks
- Applied by dabbing on a lint-free cloth, working from the edge towards the centre, never rubbing
- Only after rinsing and a dilute detergent solution have been tried first
- Followed by a wash in an approved wool detergent
The wool body names surgical spirit in five of its ten stain entries and dilutes it in every one. It is the second step throughout, never the first.
Precautions
- Test on an inconspicuous area first
- Ventilate the area
Why we say this
Supported
The fibre body's own guide, naming the dilution each time. Recorded as conditional rather than cleared because every appearance is diluted, is a second step, and is followed by washing.
Sources
The Woolmark Company · Trade or professional body
Relied on for: That surgical spirit diluted three to one with cold water treats persistent red wine, fruit and fruit juice marks on wool; that equal parts warm water and surgical spirit treats alcoholic drinks; and that it is used for grass and for ballpoint ink, always after a first step and always followed by a wash. (states this directly)
Verification: a person has read the passage relied on.
Read on — Sprint 29 read all ten stain entries plus the general method. Earlier sprints had read the general method and two entries - oily stains and blood - out of ten. Supports a wider statement — our claim was widened. The register had read two of ten entries and treated the source as done. The red wine entry is the one that matters most: two accepted intents about red wine on a wool carpet had been partial for want of a fibre-specific procedure, and it was on this page throughout. Also new: the salt-first route for egg and milk, the bicarbonate route for black coffee, the do-not-let-it-dry rule for ink, and the instruction to tell a dry cleaner what has already been applied - the only handover instruction in the register.
Last reviewed by a person on .
Isopropyl alcohol is safe on, in specific conditions, Laptop keyboard
Safe only in specific conditions
This is only appropriate within specific limits. Outside those limits, CleaningHQ makes no claim.
Only within these limits:
- 70% isopropyl alcohol with 30% water, and no other concentration is given
- applied to a microfibre cloth, damp but not dripping — never sprayed onto the device
- device powered off and disconnected from the mains, batteries out of wireless keyboards
- no moisture allowed to drip into the keys
- air dried with no visible moisture before power is restored
The manufacturer notes that even correct cleaning by this method may produce visible cosmetic changes to some finishes over time.
Precautions
- Disconnect from the power supply first
- Check the manufacturer's instructions
- Never mix with other cleaning products
Why we say this
Supported
One manufacturer's approval for its own equipment. Carried with every condition attached, because on this substrate the conditions are the safety rather than decoration on it.
Sources
Guidance for Keeping Your Dell Technologies Equipment Clean
Dell Technologies · Manufacturer documentation
Relied on for: That the approved solution is 70% isopropyl alcohol with 30% water on a microfibre cloth that is damp but not dripping, that liquid is never sprayed directly onto the product, that the device is powered off and disconnected first, and that surfaces must air dry before power is restored. (states this directly)
Verification: a person has read the passage relied on.
Read on — The preparation, solution, prohibition and drying instructions. Supports the claim as stated.
Last reviewed by a person on .
Isopropyl alcohol is safe on, in specific conditions, Mobile phone
Safe only in specific conditions
This is only appropriate within specific limits. Outside those limits, CleaningHQ makes no claim.
The second device manufacturer in this register to clear alcohol above 70% on a hard non-porous surface, and it still says nothing about a coated spectacle lens.
Only within these limits:
- more than 70% isopropyl alcohol or ethanol, per the manufacturer
- applied to the CORNERS of a soft lint-free microfibre cloth, never to the phone
- phone powered down, case removed and cables unplugged first
- glass, ceramic and metal surfaces only - not leather, rubber or plastic accessories
- no moisture into any opening, and no excessive wiping
Precautions
- Disconnect from the power supply first
- Check the manufacturer's instructions
Why we say this
Supported
Two manufacturers in different device categories agreeing on the agent and on the application method. The conditions are the clearance; the concentration alone is not.
Sources
How do I clean my Galaxy phone?
Samsung Electronics · Manufacturer documentation
Relied on for: That a disinfectant based on more than 70% ethanol or isopropyl alcohol may be used on the corners of a soft lint-free microfibre cloth, that the phone is powered down with case and cables removed, that liquids are never applied directly, and that the guidance covers glass, ceramic and metal surfaces only. (states this directly)
Verification: a person has read the passage relied on.
Read on — The preparation, cloth, permitted solutions, prohibitions and surface-scope statements. Supports a narrower statement — our claim was reduced. Two findings run against the consumer advice this catalogue recorded as demand. COMPRESSED AIR IS PROHIBITED, and it is the technique almost every charging-port article recommends; the manufacturer neither endorses a port method nor permits the tool. And the guidance stops at glass, ceramic and metal, so the phone CASE — a separate accepted intent — is explicitly outside it. The charging-port row therefore stays partial with a warning rather than becoming an answer, which is a narrower outcome than the acquisition was aimed at.
Guidance for Keeping Your Dell Technologies Equipment Clean
Dell Technologies · Manufacturer documentation
Relied on for: That 70% isopropyl alcohol with 30% water on a damp cloth is the approved solution for equipment surfaces, which is the same permission from a different device category. (background and mechanism only)
Verification: a person has read the passage relied on.
Read on — The preparation, solution, prohibition and drying instructions. Supports the claim as stated.
Last reviewed by a person on .
Why
- Isopropyl alcohol is explained by Surfactancy
By contrast: it dissolves oil directly rather than emulsifying it, which is why it leaves no residue and needs no rinse.
Hacks and claims involving this
- Following bleach with an alcohol sanitiser Does not work
- You will smell it if the fumes are dangerous Does not work
- Alcohol cleaners are gentle, so they are safe Disputed
When the obvious answer is wrong
How do I get a grease mark off suede without ruining the nap?
Suede is the porous lower split of the hide with nap on both sides, dyed like aniline and uncoated. The trade guide states that cleaning agents will immediately darken nude leather — there is no cautious first application, because the first application is the result. Water is not a safe alternative either: the guide specifies deionised water because hard water containing minerals may cause rings. And the guide separately prohibits alcohol, strong solvents, high-pH cleaners and dish detergent on leather generally, as incompatible with modern finishes.
A different kind of treatment works: Change the mechanism from dissolving to absorbing. The trade guide's instruction is to place cornstarch directly over the affected area and rub gently with a finger until it coagulates with the oil, repeating as necessary. The powder offers a finer, drier pore network than the suede, so the oil moves upward into it and leaves with it — nothing is dissolved and nothing is carried deeper. Only if the mark is still evident after that is a cloth dampened with odourless mineral spirits used, and it is the last step rather than the first. Where water is unavoidable for a water-based soil, the guide specifies dampening rather than soaking a cloth and feathering the edges outward so no boundary forms, using deionised water so no mineral ring is left behind.
What should I use on red wine spilled on a wool carpet or jumper?
Wool is a protein fibre and oxidising bleaches attack it directly, degrading the keratin rather than the stain sitting on it. The damage is structural and it is not a mark that can be cleaned off afterwards: the fibre is weakened, and on a carpet the affected area wears differently from everything around it. The wool body approaches this from the other side, warning that methods aimed primarily at cotton or synthetic garments are not all suitable for wool.
A different kind of treatment works: Change the mechanism from oxidation to dilution and dissolution, and respect the order. The wool body gives red wine, fruit and fruit juice their own entry and its sequence is three steps. First RINSE WITH CLEAN WATER — before any product, because wine is water-soluble while it is fresh and the cheapest removal happens then. Second, a DILUTE solution of an approved wool detergent. Third, and only where the mark persists, THREE PARTS SURGICAL SPIRIT TO ONE PART COLD WATER. Technique carries the rest and is stated for every entry on the page: scoop or blot the excess immediately with white tissue or an absorbent towel, work from the EDGE towards the centre, and dab rather than rub. Finish with a wash in an approved wool detergent. Where the label permits dry cleaning and the mark survives, tell the cleaner what the stain is AND what has already been applied to it — a treated stain is a different problem from an untreated one.
How do I get a greasy mark off a leather sofa arm?
The leather trade body prohibits both by name, and the reason is the finish rather than the hide. Modern leather finishes are WATER-BASED, and its banned list is built around what attacks them: any high pH cleaner, cleaners containing alcohol, strong solvents, and caustic household cleaners such as soap or dish detergent. The stated consequence is cracking or other damage to the surface. It is the same reason saddle soap and mink oil are on the list beside glass cleaner - traditional leather remedies formulated for finishes no longer used.
A different kind of treatment works: Take the dry route first, which is the trade body's own procedure and reverses the direction the oil travelled. Place CORNSTARCH over the mark and rub it gently with a finger until it coagulates with the oil, repeating as necessary. Only when the absorbent has taken what it can does anything wet follow, and then it is a cloth dampened with odourless mineral spirits rather than a household cleaner. Technique carries as much of this as product. Cleaner goes onto a clean white cotton rag and NEVER onto the leather or into a spray. Work in a circular motion under moderate pressure, and the guide gives a memorable ceiling for that pressure: no more force than a firm handshake, because scrubbing damages the leather and makes the stain harder to remove. Air dry, with no heat. Two further limits are worth knowing before starting. Deionised water is specified where water is used at all, because minerals in hard water leave rings.
How do I get grease off a vinyl seat without leaving a mark on it?
The coated-fabric trade body classifies vinyl, polyurethane and silicone coated fabrics as SOFT-SURFACE materials despite their being smooth and non-permeable, and states that hard-surface cleaners, sanitizers and disinfectants are not intended for soft surfaces and could damage them. It then names hand sanitisers among the substances that STAIN coated fabric. So the alcohol wipe that removes the grease is on the list of things that mark the seat, and the mark it leaves is not a soil sitting on the coating that can be wiped off again.
A different kind of treatment works: Take the soil off first with a soft-surface product rather than a hard-surface one, and treat cleaning and disinfecting as two operations rather than one. The trade body is explicit that they are not the same: a soil-removal product may not disinfect and a disinfectant may not remove soil, and the surface should be clean of soil BEFORE anything is sanitised or disinfected. Then rinse, which is the step this source says almost nobody performs — it observes that technicians typically do not rinse coated fabric, so product residue is the normal state of the surface rather than the exception. A residue film is what makes a cleaned vinyl seat feel tacky and pick up the next mark faster. None of this applies to ordinary fabric upholstery, which is a different material with different guidance.
Sources for this page
Sources
NIOSH Pocket Guide to Chemical Hazards
US National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), CDC · Poison or chemical-safety authority
Relied on for: That isopropyl alcohol is a flammable liquid with recognised occupational exposure considerations. (background and mechanism only)
Verification: the work exists and is described correctly. Nobody has yet read the specific passage.
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 isopropyl alcohol are the recommended treatment for oil and grease marks on stainless steel. (states this directly)
Verification: a person has read the passage relied on.
Read on — Sprint 29 re-read all four pages: Factors Affecting Maintenance, Maintenance Programme, Cleaning Methods with the whole of Table 1, Table 2, and Notes 1-10. Earlier sprints named both tables but carried only part of one and none of the notes. Supports a wider statement — our claim was widened. SPRINT 29 FOUND THIS UNDER-EXTRACTED WHILE ALL THREE SIGNALS CALLED IT DONE: zero representation debt, in the fully-harvested list, and honestly noted as 'read in full'. Five of Table 1's eleven rows, all of Table 2 and eight of ten notes had never reached the graph. Newly built: tannin and coffee deposits, heat discolouration, the 1% ammonia routine clearance, oxalic acid for embedded iron, and the condition-triggered domestic frequency rule. The paraphrase cap is part of the cause, and the fix is not a longer paraphrase — the facts belong in the citing records.
Hazard Alert — Worker Health and Safety: Mixing Bleach with Other Cleaning Products Can Be Deadly
New Jersey Department of Health, Environmental and Occupational Health Surveillance Program · Government or regulator
Relied on for: That bleach combined with rubbing alcohol forms chloroform. (states this directly)
Verification: a person has read the passage relied on.
Read on — Page 1, the two case reports and the bleach/ammonia and bleach/acid paragraphs; page 2, the "DANGEROUS CHEMICAL COMBINATIONS — DO NOT MIX" list and the safe-work-practices panel. Supports a wider statement — our claim was widened. The register gained authoritative support for three hazards CleaningHQ had not recorded: bleach with alcohols, hydrogen peroxide with acetic acid, and the sequential-use route evidenced by both case reports. Incompatibility records were added for the first two, and the sequential-exposure wording on the existing bleach-and-acid record now rests on a case report rather than on inference.
What CleaningHQ cannot answer yet
These are recorded questions about this subject that we have not yet researched to a standard we would publish.
- Remove ink staining from textiles
- Compatibility of acetone with plastics
- Clean a vehicle infotainment display without damaging its coating
Last reviewed by a person on .