# Does isopropyl alcohol damage anything? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [April 3, 2005, 12:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-isopropyl-alcohol-damage-anything/297466 "2005-04-03T00:53:07Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![scr4](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/59ef9b/32.png) [@scr4](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scr4)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2005, 12:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-isopropyl-alcohol-damage-anything/297466/1 "2005-04-03T00:53:07Z")
In various places people ask “Is it OK to clean xxxx with isopropyl alcohol,” and I’ve never seen a “NO” answer. Is there anything you _shouldn’t_ clean with it? The only thing I can think of is if you don’t want to erase something written with magic markers (“permanent” ink felt-tip pens, e.g. Sharpie). ---
**Author:** ![GorillaMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/50afbb/32.png) [@GorillaMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GorillaMan)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2005, 12:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-isopropyl-alcohol-damage-anything/297466/2 "2005-04-03T00:58:29Z")
Violins. I’ve seen £1000s of damage done by people ‘just cleaning it up a bit’. Spirit-based varnishes and alcohol don’t mix…or rather, they do, rather too well… ---
**Author:** ![Squink](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b5e925/32.png) [@Squink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Squink)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2005, 12:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-isopropyl-alcohol-damage-anything/297466/3 "2005-04-03T00:59:00Z")
Cheese should not be cleaned with isopropyl alcohol. ---
**Author:** ![scr4](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/59ef9b/32.png) [@scr4](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scr4)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2005, 1:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-isopropyl-alcohol-damage-anything/297466/4 "2005-04-03T01:04:28Z")
> [@GorillaMan](#): > > Spirit-based varnishes and alcohol don’t mix…or rather, they do, rather too well… :smack: Should’ve thought of that. And varnished furniture too, I’d assume. ---
**Author:** ![Boyo\_Jim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/87869e/32.png) [@Boyo\_Jim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Boyo_Jim)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2005, 1:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-isopropyl-alcohol-damage-anything/297466/5 "2005-04-03T01:11:55Z")
You’re not supposed to drink it – presumably it could do some damage. ---
**Author:** ![Bob\_Scene](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e19adc/32.png) [@Bob\_Scene](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bob_Scene)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2005, 1:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-isopropyl-alcohol-damage-anything/297466/6 "2005-04-03T01:19:04Z")
I had a dirty (and cheap) computer keyboard once that got all scuffed-up looking when I tried to clean it with IPA. That won’t happen with most keyboards, as far as I know. ---
**Author:** ![Laughing\_Lagomorph](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/6bbea6/32.png) [@Laughing\_Lagomorph](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Laughing_Lagomorph)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2005, 1:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-isopropyl-alcohol-damage-anything/297466/7 "2005-04-03T01:27:26Z")
I can tell you from experience that cleaning a Dry Erase _board_ (a whiteboard) with isopropanol is a big no-no. It permeabalizes the surface so that any subsequent writing penetrates and **will not come off.** ---
**Author:** ![Loopydude](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e56c9b/32.png) [@Loopydude](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loopydude)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2005, 1:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-isopropyl-alcohol-damage-anything/297466/8 "2005-04-03T01:30:20Z")
Isopropanol can damage all kinds of things. Do you want a comprehensive list? That might take some doing. Certain paints and varnishes, as has been mentioned, may be soluble in isopropanol. Various protective coatings on things like LCD screens can be damaged by isopropanol. It’s relatively mild stuff compared to compounds like acetone or chloroform, but I’d exercise caution before using it as a cleaser on plastics. Maybe pick a small area that’s out-of-sight to rub with some, and see what it does. ---
**Author:** ![Zulema](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/db5fbb/32.png) [@Zulema](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zulema)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2005, 1:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-isopropyl-alcohol-damage-anything/297466/9 "2005-04-03T01:31:20Z")
Eye glasses with anti-reflective coating. ---
**Author:** ![Washoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/ecae2f/32.png) [@Washoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Washoe)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2005, 2:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-isopropyl-alcohol-damage-anything/297466/10 "2005-04-03T02:24:06Z")
> [@Boyo Jim](#): > > You’re not supposed to drink it – presumably it could do some damage. What _would_ happen if you drank it? Ethyl alcohol is metabolized into acetaldehyde, and methyl alcohol is metabolized into formaldehyde—what is isopropyl alcohol metabolized into? ---
**Author:** ![Una\_Persson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/una_persson/32/346_2.png) [@Una\_Persson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Una_Persson)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2005, 2:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-isopropyl-alcohol-damage-anything/297466/11 "2005-04-03T02:27:02Z")
IME I’ve had scads of things discoloured, stained, or otherwise damaged by isopropyl alcohol. My standard assumption in fact is to assume that any wood, plastic, rubber, or fabric - barring those intended for use with it, like medical equipment - are at risk. ---
**Author:** ![Loopydude](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e56c9b/32.png) [@Loopydude](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loopydude)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2005, 2:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-isopropyl-alcohol-damage-anything/297466/12 "2005-04-03T02:35:32Z")
Alcohol dehydrogenase is primarily involved and converts it into acetone. I’m not sure, but I don’t think anything breaks down acetone. It has to be excreted as-is. The consequence of toxic acetone levels is ketoacidosis. I think isopropanol is a CNS depressant, just as methanol and ethanol are, though I don’t know if one can consume enough to get drunk without getting seriously, perhaps lethally poisoned. Relatively small amounts are all that is required to denature grain alcohol and render it impotable. If one could introduce isopropanol into the body via some route that avoids first-pass metabolism, I wonder if that could be less toxic, as with methanol. I’m not eager to try it, and don’t recommend it. ---
**Author:** ![Napier](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/ce73a5/32.png) [@Napier](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Napier)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2005, 3:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-isopropyl-alcohol-damage-anything/297466/13 "2005-04-03T03:52:39Z")
I think it dries out vinyl. ---
**Author:** ![Kent\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kent_clark/32/105_2.png) [@Kent\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kent_Clark)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2005, 4:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-isopropyl-alcohol-damage-anything/297466/14 "2005-04-03T04:02:43Z")
Back in the days of tape recorders, we were told never to clean the heads with alcohol, only carbon tet or (after it was banned) trichloethylene. It wasn’t so much the alcohol itself as the impurities in the solution. ---
**Author:** ![Broomstick](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/broomstick/32/246_2.png) [@Broomstick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Broomstick)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2005, 4:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-isopropyl-alcohol-damage-anything/297466/15 "2005-04-03T04:20:20Z")
Back when I worked at the drug rehab clinic we had a guy who was into isopropyl for recreational drinking. It didn’t kill him immediately, he got drunk as a skunk on it fairly regularly, typically consumed a pint at a time, and favored Osco house brand. It did, however, create organ damage (kidney, liver, nerve, etc.) at a much faster rate than the usual drinking alcohol. And, oh yeah, he _stank_ - MUCH worse than the usual drunk. ---
**Author:** ![Valgard](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/7feea3/32.png) [@Valgard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Valgard)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2005, 4:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-isopropyl-alcohol-damage-anything/297466/16 "2005-04-03T04:34:52Z")
> [@kunilou](#): > > Back in the days of tape recorders, we were told never to clean the heads with alcohol, only carbon tet or (after it was banned) trichloethylene. > > It wasn’t so much the alcohol itself as the impurities in the solution. That’s odd, the user manual for my old Fisher boombox said to use cotton swabs with some rubbing alcohol to clean the heads. Were there different types of heads or something? ---
**Author:** ![Loopydude](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e56c9b/32.png) [@Loopydude](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loopydude)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2005, 4:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-isopropyl-alcohol-damage-anything/297466/17 "2005-04-03T04:35:05Z")
Wow. So people really do drink it? If I might hazard a guess, I’m betting he already had severe liver damage from EtOH that, ironically, prevented a goodly portion of the isopropanol from being metabolized into acetone, thus keeping him alive a lot longer than a healthy person could, given the same consumption levels. ---
**Author:** ![Scarface\_Z](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/50afbb/32.png) [@Scarface\_Z](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scarface_Z)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2005, 5:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-isopropyl-alcohol-damage-anything/297466/18 "2005-04-03T05:32:24Z")
I drank isopropyl alcohol once. Just one swallow, but a decent sized gulp. Funny story that, you see my mother was cleaning with it; and for some reason she had it in a plastic cup that she would pour out onto the counter or onto a rag. Later, as we were about to leave to buy groceries, she mistook it for her glass of water, added ice and brought it out to the car with her. Halfway there I asked if I could have a drink of her water. She said fine, but I got a rude awakening when I drank it. When you’re thirsty enough, you don’t bother to taste before you swallow. The odd thing is, it didn’t really taste that bad. It went down easier than many a hard liquor I’ve had. I didn’t feel any ill effects, though I only had a swallow. I didn’t feel, how shall I say, intoxicated by it at all either. ---
**Author:** ![Scarface\_Z](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/50afbb/32.png) [@Scarface\_Z](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scarface_Z)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2005, 5:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-isopropyl-alcohol-damage-anything/297466/19 "2005-04-03T05:34:26Z")
Oh yeah, don’t clean your teeth with it. It may fight gingivitis, but I’d rather get drunk on listerine than that stuff. ---
**Author:** ![danceswithcats](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/9e8a1a/32.png) [@danceswithcats](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/danceswithcats)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2005, 5:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-isopropyl-alcohol-damage-anything/297466/20 "2005-04-03T05:42:39Z")
> [@kunilou](#): > > Back in the days of tape recorders, we were told never to clean the heads with alcohol, only carbon tet or (after it was banned) trichloethylene. > > It wasn’t so much the alcohol itself as the impurities in the solution. I’ve been using IPA to clean audio and video heads, and belts/drive surfaces since I was old enough for Dad to show me how. 😉 [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-isopropyl-alcohol-damage-anything/297466.md?page=2)